Scar's Perfect Opposite: Scarlett the Metal?
by Annabeth Zatsune
Summary: She looks perfectly normal... Except for the tattoos covering her remarkable body. She was mixed with titanium, and is now slightly super-human... But why is she bent on protecting the military, who uprooted Ishval, her home-country? This is unknown, as is her connection to Scar. But when she reveals it, all hell breaks loose. ScarxOC, swearing, gore. R&R!
1. Chapter 1

**UNKNOWN**

She sat silently in the alley. The rain pattered down on her long silver hair. Sighing, she put her hood up. This wasn't the time, the place, or anything.

She had a mission to accomplish.

Her red eyes glimmered in the dark as she put her sunglasses on. She had to be ready. That included hiding all features that marked her out.

Sighing again, she stood up. There wasn't time to sit and wallow in self-pity. Not with all those people she had to save.

She knew only a few things about her opponent. He was quick, accurate, smart, and had a powerful and lethal attack.

But she was just the same.

She lifted up her sleeve for a moment, tracing a few of the dark tattoos lacing across her skin. They were all over her body, face, hands, everywhere. But she couldn't recall why or how.

Tomorrow was a military event involving several State Alchemists. He planned on being there, but so did she. She would stop him. She couldn't let him kill any more people.

**SCAR**

He looked over the small crowd and started pushing his way through them.

If he could just get to the front, then he would have a clear shot at several State Alchemists, including Fullmetal, Flame, and Strong-arm.

People protested as he shoved past. He heard more protests in front of him, and then saw why.

Someone in a white jacket, hood up, stood in his path. They weren't facing the event, instead staring right at him through black sunglasses. He saw a long strand of silver hair in front of their face, but they weren't paying attention to that. Just him.

"I know who you are a what you intend." they said in a clear, piercing voice.

"A woman..." he muttered. Pretending to ignore her, he tried to move around her.

He felt her hand, strong and firm, on his arm.

"No." She was glaring at him, he was sure. Her glasses were too dark to tell. "I won't let you."

"Then I'll have to take you out as well." he warned.

"Hah. Go ahead and try, murderer." she hissed, her grip tightening.

She was surprisingly strong, but not like him. His hand whipped up.

The woman ducked, her hood flying off. Long silver hair burst out of it's confinement, flowing down to her waist. Her skin was dark, laced with black tattoos. But he still couldn't see her eyes. She had been careful enough to secure them when she ducked. "Nice shot, but a little slow." she said, shaking her head.

The people surrounding them had backed off, giving them plenty of room to fight. But he had no time for that!

"What's wrong? 'Fraid of being beaten by a girl?" the woman asked, taking a loose stance, totally relaxed.

His eyes narrowed. She was trying to provoke him into fighting her. He turned, walking away.

"I told you, no!" the woman snarled, darting in front of him. "You aren't killing anyone else today, Scar!"

People gasped and moved away quickly, opening up multiple paths to the grounds on which the Alchemists were. But the woman was quick, she'd demonstrated her speed by dodging him and blocking his path. "And who are you, so bold as to confront me and protect the heretic Alchemists?" he asked.

"I shed my name a long time ago, when I fell astray from God's path. I'm not who I used to be. Now, I'm Scarlett." came the simple answer.

"So, you bear the same name as me. I fail to see what scar you have."

"The scar I carry is one that cannot be seen. It is a scar on my very person. It falls under the same story as how I fell away from the path you claim to follow." For one moment, Scarlett stood totally relaxed without a stance.

He was aware that now the military was starting to notice them. He made up his mind.

He'd have to make this quick!

**EDWARD**

They were in combat. Scar and some woman.

"Shouldn't we..." Alphonse started.

"Who knows, maybe she just doesn't want him to kill us and take the glory. Let's just wait." he told his younger brother.

The woman recoiled sharply, a yelp escaping her lips. Her sunglasses fell off. "D-damn you... Damn you..." she growled, a hand over her eyes. "Damn... No..."

She removed her hand, still growling and swearing. Her eyes were bright crimson.

"An Ishvalan!" gasped Armstrong.

"Damn you!" the woman screamed, lunging at Scar. Whereas before she'd waited for him to strike and he'd had the upper hand, Edward saw that now she was gaining the upper hand. Her movements were quicker and near-invisible.

"Why is she fighting one of her own?" he wondered.

"I don't know." Mustang answered.

Now the woman cart-wheeled between them and Scar. "You aren't going to. I told you, I'm not letting you kill anyone else!" she screamed, arms out.

"And why is that? Why do you defend the very ones that uprooted our country?" Scar challenged.

"Because I don't hold grudges for one thing! But you're dragging everyone into this mess! Vengeance would be on the ones that took a part in it, but you're attacking even the ones that had no damn part in it! And that's just stupid and childish!" the woman screamed, holding her ground.

She had taken a stance, one where she shifted her weight in small circles, staying on her toes. The movements were still quick, and she wasn't going to let Scar through any time in the near future.

"Put your hands up!"

The two Ishvalans had been surrounded. The woman complied, putting her hands in the air. Scar growled and pulled a quick escape. The woman glared into the ground after him.

He, Al, Mustang and Armstrong approached the woman. "Who are you?" Mustang asked.

"I don't have a real name anymore. Just call me Scarlett." she replied, eyes closed.

"You carry Scar's name? So then why do you protect us?" he asked.

"... Because I'm still young, so when you're my age, you're determined to stop pointless death." she said after a short hesitation.

"Young? How old are you?" Al asked curiously.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Her glare averted their gazes.

**SCARLETT**

She was supposed to be interrogated. There wasn't much she could tell them, she knew that. She sat patiently, cross-legged on the floor.

They had been curious about her tattoos, and were currently in a private conversation about them. She'd told them what she knew about them, and that'd sparked their curiosity.

_Ishvalans weren't supposed to know Alchemy._

She knew that. But the tattoos were Alchemic trans-mutation circles. They were all over her body.

_Even on her bones..._

She couldn't let them know that. No way, no how, could she let them know that she had trans-mutation circles on her bones!

"You said you were young... Just how young?"

She looked up, glowering at the question. She mumbled her reply.

"What?" asked Flame in confusion.

"I said I'm nineteen!" she shouted in aggravation. "Cut me some slack."

"Why is your body covered in circles?" Fullmetal's brother asked.

"I have no effing clue! I don't know how to use 'em, what they're for, or any of that crap!" she yelled.

"Reports say that Scar did manage to get you, but nothing happened?" Strong-arm asked.

She bowed her head and stayed silent. "No comment." she said.

"You should tell us." ordered Flame.

She glared, sighing. "Why? Not like you'll believe me!" she huffed.

"We would."

She hid her surprise as the younger Elric removed his helmet to show an empty shell. "Fine... Some ninny picked me up in the war and combined me with a chunk of something they called 'titanium.'" she sighed, looking away.

She counted three seconds, then glared up at them. "See?"

**MUSTANG**

The look in her eyes...

The girl was telling the truth. "Can you elaborate on what it is?" he asked, filling the silence.

"It looked like silver... They had to use expensive mining methods, because it's rare and hard to find... It has a high melting point, up in the thousands, and a low freezing point, down in the negative thousands. It's harder than even a diamond... It's chemical make-up is complex and confusing... And a single wire of it can support more weight than that of a house." she said, leaning back and thinking

"And you say you were combined with this stuff?" Edward asked.

"Do I need to say everything a million times? Yes, I'm combined with almost a hundred pounds of titanium!" Scarlett exploded.

They were silent.

"Umm... Just how extensive are your tattoos?" Armstrong asked cautiously.

"They're even on my b-"

She clapped her hands over her mouth.

"On your...?" he asked.

"No. No, I'm not telling. Then you'll want to examine those too." she said, turning away.

"You said they're all over your body. If you mean that literally, I'm going to assume you mean they're even on your bones." Edward guessed.

Scarlett jumped up. "You aren't examining them! I've been cut up more times than I care to count!" she yelled.

**EDWARD**

_Someone had tattooed this girl's bones..._

He looked at her with shock. She'd been scarred, not just physically. Her name was appropriate. Scarlett had been combined with a chunk of metal, tattooed inside and out, and treated like a test-subject.

She was terrified right now, but she refused to show it. Her face was determined, but her eyes were that of a hunted animal.

"It's okay. We aren't going to hurt you." he tried to soothe.

"I've been told that too many times to believe it anymore. I hardly believe anything I'm told anymore. I've simply heard it all too many times." Scarlett told him, her head bowed.

"You want to hear the whole story, don't you?"

Her question startled them.

"I can tell. That's the other thing about why Scar couldn't lay a scratch on me and why I was so miffed over losing those glasses." she said, a small smile on her face as she tapped her temple. "These eyes... The titanium had an unusual side-effect on me. Now, I can tell a lot of things just by looking at a person or object. It can be overwhelming, but if I wear sunglasses dark enough, it filters it all out and I can't see it. So... Do you want to hear the story?"


	2. Chapter 2

**SCARLETT**

"Do you know why there was tension between the two countries?" she asked.

"Ishval protested Alchemy, saying it went against God." Mustang answered.

"And then there was the military's occupation of Ishval, which they also protested." Edward added.

"Hmm. True. But... Also, a young Ishvalan girl went missing, and when she was last seen, it was with an Amestrian soldier." she said, closing her eyes and standing up. Her hand went to the base of her skull. "I was walking past, and he stopped me. We talked for a while. He seemed nice, compared to what I'd always been told. But as I went to walk away, he whacked me upside the head. I can still remember that pain." she grimaced.

"What happened?" Al asked curiously.

"I guess it was a week after, but I woke up in a small, locked room. I was all alone. I didn't know what the heck was going on. I fell into a fitful sleep that night.

"When I woke up, I realized I had a large scar running down my chest. I didn't know how or why it was there. I was absolutely terrified. The same thing kept happening, over and over. As years passed, older scars vanished, and newer ones took their place. Then... They stopped..."

"Stopped?" Ed asked, confused.

"I'd made it a habit to see where my new scars were. But that one morning... There were no new ones. Zip. Nada. Zero. All of my scars were fading away and no new ones were coming. I was so terrified, I didn't sleep. I just sat vigil, registering everything around me, but not fully in the world.

"Finally, I actually woke up. I was almost relieved. But when I went to check for new scars..." She held up her hand. "I saw the black lace-work covering my body, almost hiding the scars that followed the patterns of my bones. For the first time since I entered that place, I screamed.

"After that day, I became driven by fear. I went slightly insane, fear-driven into it. I had short lapses of sanity, and during one of them, the door was thrown open and two people in military uniforms stormed in. I was roughly grabbed and dragged to a much larger room. It was full of people wearing lab-coats. At that moment, my fear faded and I locked eyes with one of them.

"He was middle-aged and had black hair, but his eyes were what caught my attention. Looking at me, it looked like he wanted to cry. Before I could catch much more, I was shoved into a large trans-mutation circle on the floor. In the center was a huge chunk of metal. I was... attracted to it, in a way. It was, in it's own rough, crude manner, beautiful. It was silver, smooth, yet dull and rough. Then the circle was activated." Against her own will, she shuddered.

"Is it possible for you to describe what being mixed with the stuff was like?" Armstrong asked.

"Can I describe it? Well... It was like I was falling through blue space. Falling forever through nothingness. My tattoos were glowing, matching the hue of the space I was plummeting through. Then, looking down, I saw ground. A smooth, silver, metallic surface, rushing up to meet me. I saw my reflection in it... Only I wasn't me.

"I was wild, standing surrounded by soldiers in some snowy landscape. I had... knives coming out of my left knuckles and a large blade out of my right elbow. My tattoos were glowing in there too, and then... The wild me looked up at me.

"After that, it was like a truck hit me. I was back in the room, screaming about how it hurt like hell and swearing like no tomorrow. The metal was nowhere to be seen and the scientists were applauding. I sought out the one scientist and again locked eyes with him. He was crying then,silent tears streaming down his face.

"After that day, there was more human interaction between them and me. I often saw the black-haired scientist during my endurance tests. But once a week, they'd run a physical on me, and he'd be doing it. On that day, I was allowed to ask one question that they'd answer."

"Did you ever learn your location?" Mustang asked.

"Yeah. They said it was a military-supported lab in Central. They called it Lab Five." she answered simply, nodding her head.

"Lab Five?" they all cried.

"What?" she asked, confused.

"Uhh... I just got out of the hospital from my little excursion to that place. It was shut down a while back, and Al and I went to check it out... And while we were there, the building... Kinda collapsed!" Edward said, flustered.

"Shut down? Good. Destroyed? Even better." she said in satisfaction.

"What about the scientist?" asked Armstrong, apparently eager to change the subject.

"He was very kind and gentle. He actually helped me to escape. He slipped me something that would put me in a mini-coma and appear dead. When I was found 'dead' I was taken to a morgue of sorts. The doctor came in and woke me up. After that, I slipped out of the ventilation shaft. Ever since then, I've been living in the streets, trying to find someone I know."

"What do you mean?" asked Al.

"There're survivors all over the country. I've seen them. I know some of them, but so far, I haven't found any of my family or either of my friends."

"What ever became of the man who helped you escape?" Ed asked curiously.

"Oh. I don't really know. I heard rumor that he deserted."

"What was his name?"

"Tim Marcoh, the Crystal Alchemist."

**EDWARD**

_She knew Doctor Marcoh!_

That was the only thing running through his head. Scarlett knew and was friends with Marcoh. "He... He's doing fine. We saw him a short while back." he told her.

"Great! I'm glad to know he's alright!" she smiled.

He decided to change the subject. "Well, maybe if we were to examine your tattoos, we could figure out what they were originally for and why they did this to you!" he said.

"That's a good idea." agreed the colonel.

"Yeah! Maybe it has something to do with why you had that vision when you were made into a Chimera!" Al nodded enthusiastically.

Before he could speak again, he got something heavy in the back of his skull. As he fell down, he saw Al and Mustang also fall to the floor. "What the hell was that for?" he yelled angrily, whipping around to face Scarlett. But he flinched away directly after saying that.

She was really angry. Not just boiling or fuming, she was barely restraining herself from blowing her top! "What was that for? What was that for? Are you guys even aware of what you're saying? You're talking about looking at my tattoos, which, hell-freaking-o! They're all over my body! How the hell do you intend to look at them, you friggin' pervert!" she yelled.

He blushed, opening up the encyclopedia she'd thrown at him and burying his face in it.

_How would they? They weren't about to get her to strip and show them..._

"I... have an idea..." Al said timidly. "What about Hawkeye and Winry?" he suggested.

"That might work..." Mustang groaned, sitting up as he picked the dictionary Scarlett had nailed him with up.

"Who and who now?" Scarlett asked, all of her former anger now gone.

"Hawkeye is Mustang's lieutenant, and Winry is my mechanic. They could record the arrays so we could all look at them..." he said cautiously, observing how there were many good projectiles surrounding her.

"Fine, I guess." she huffed.

"Heh, great! Me and Al'll go get 'em!" he laughed nervously, running out.

When they came back with Hawkeye and Winry in tow, they found Mustang trying to keep himself far away from Scarlett, rubbing his wrist. "Watch it, she bites." he grumbled.

"If you weren't being so pushy, I wouldn't have bitten you!" Scarlett yelled, her past fury returning.

"You shouldn't be so violent! If you are, how will you ever find true happiness?" Armstrong boomed.

"In violence. Some say it isn't the answer, but it can be a pretty darn fun alternative." Scarlett huffed, ignoring him.

**SCARLETT**

She felt a knot in her right arm forming.

"Don't worry, we're almost done." Winry must've seen the impatience on her face.

"Good. I have a billion aches from standing like this for so long!" she sighed.

"Hmph, I know how you feel." Riza chuckled.

Finally, they finished. Sighing, she got redressed and followed the two into Mustang's office.

"There, see, that wasn't so bad was it?" Edward smirked. A glare sent his direction made him quickly avert his gaze, humming softly.

"Yeah, you better look away." she growled.

"Why is it that you were quiet, timid, and a good girl before, but you're now so violent?" Mustang sighed.

"Those who don't know me think me quiet; Those who do, wish I was." she told him, sitting down cross-legged on the floor again. "And if you guys start to get perverted again, I'll just punch you, and it'll hurt a lot more than a dictionary or an encyclopedia!" she warned, clenching her fist.

"We've been discussing the matter of where to keep you, and-" Mustang started.

The door slammed open, smacking her in the back of the head. "Yowch! Right in the spot where it failed to get super-strong!" she yelped, jumping up.

"Hughes! What are you doing here?" Mustang yelled at the same time.

"I was ordered to come see how this interrogation of yours is progressing! So, how goes it?" the man in the door said loudly and cheerily.

"A pain in the neck. For both him and me." she answered, wondering if maybe she could nail him with a book as well.

_Why do they all flock to each other?_

She looked at them curiously. The newcomer, Hughes, was shoving pictures into Ed, Al, Winry and Mustang's faces. Riza and Armstrong, apparently expecting that, had left. Mustang was blowing a fuse, Ed and Al were still subject to the pictures, and Winry was coming over to her.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

"Ed and Al say you were combined with a really rare metal..." Winry was nervous, she could tell.

"That's right, you're an auto-mail engineer! Of course you're going to be curious. Well, I asked where a few of the titanium deposits are, and they said there were a few in Rush Valley." she said, answering the unspoken question.

"Really? Wow! And Ed and Al were just about to take me there!" Winry squealed.

Suddenly, a photo of a little girl was thrust in her face. "Look, isn't she just the cutest?" Hughes cooed.

"Uhh, sure..." she said, a little lost for words.

"Would you like to see more pictures?"

"Maybe later!" she answered quickly. She leaned around him to look at Roy. "You were saying something about where you're going to keep me?"

"Yes. We can't think of anywhere that would be secure-"

"That's cold. You barely know me and you already accuse me of being a run-away." She could practically feel the icicles dripping off of her words.

"Well, we don't know you that well, so for all we know, you are." Edward pointed out.

"Shut up unless you want another book lodged in your skull and a fist in your gut." she warned.

"She can stay with me! She won't run, will you?" Hughes volunteered quickly and cheerfully.

"Uh, wait-!" they all cried, but Hughes was already dragging her away.

_Crap._

That was the one thing running through her head.

_Crap. Crap. Crap._

She just hoped that nothing bad would happen. She wasn't going to hurt anyone unless they were wrong-doers, but what if something happened and...

_What if she had no choice but to hurt someone?_


	3. Chapter 3

**SCARLETT**

_"Fool! The absence of fear doesn't equal courage! The absence of fear is absolute insanity!" she screamed._

_"Really? Are you sure? You're terrified now." the demon taunted._

_"Exactly!"_

She shot awake, screaming. The blankets confined her movement, made her panic even more.

Her breath was heavy, labored. Her body was covered in an icy sweat.

"D-damn demon..." she panted, clutching her chest. "Huh?" As she'd been raising a hand to wipe the sweat away, her tattoos had started to glow. All of the sudden, thousands of large blades shot out of her body. She screamed again.

The lights shot on, and the blades vanished. "Scarlett? What's wro-!"

Everyone stared.

She trembled, understanding why they stared. The sheets, her clothes, and the bed were all ripped and blood-soaked. "Wha... What..." She felt another scream building up in her chest.

"Gracia, take Alicia and Winry downstairs." Hughes ordered, moving into the room. His wife obeyed. "Scarlett? What happened?" he asked.

"I... I don't... I don't know..." she panted.

"Tell me. We heard you scream and woke up. Then there was a lull, and then you screamed again. What's going on? You can trust us." Hughes said.

"Every night..."

_Small, red, laughing. Growing larger, into her!_

"I have this dream... This little red demon is laughing at me, telling me... Telling me to become brave, I must remove all fear..."

"That's not courage. That's just craziness." Hughes shook his head.

"That's what I say... But then... It starts to turn into me... and says that I'm terrified... No matter what happens, I... the real me... gets hurt..." she gasped. "And tonight... They... They glowed, and... and blades shot out... Shot out of my body, all over..."

She was panting, gasping for breath. "I don't know..." she breathed, feeling tears flood her eyes. "I don't know what's happening to me!" she screamed.

**EDWARD**

Groggily, he walked into Mustang's office. "Now what?" he yawned. "It's the middle of the night."

"True, but Hughes just called. Something's wrong with Scarlett." the colonel replied grimly.

"What?" He was wide awake now. "But... What happened?"

"He said that it started as a nightmare, but then it got worse. He asked for me to come over along with you two as well."

_What could be so bad that Hughes would want all of us? What exactly is wrong with Scarlett?_

Many images crammed into his head, none of them exactly pleasant.

When they arrived at Hughes's place, Gracia answered the door. "Maes said you were coming." she said softly. Behind her, Winry and Alicia were curled up on a couch.

"What's wrong?" Al asked.

"I don't know. He told me to take Alicia down here and remained with Scarlett. Her scream woke us up, and then we went to see what was wrong. Her sheets, bed and clothes were ripped up and soaked in blood. Even she didn't know what was going on; She tried to ask us what was wrong, but she was just about ready to scream again."

Before Gracia could say anything else, a terrified scream rent the air.

They charged upstairs, burst into the room, and froze.

Hughes stood a few feet away from the bed, his face shocked and angered. Scarlett writhed in pain on the bed, sobbing. Hundreds of huge silver blades covered int trans-mutation circles stuck out from her skin, the flesh around them sliced neatly apart. "Roy!" Hughes cried, spinning around. "Any idea as to what's going on?"

"I have an idea, but it may not be accurate... I think... That whatever those tattoos purpose was, they're triggered by strong emotions. So she's unintentionally ripped herself apart..." Edward said slowly. He then gasped.

The blades had sunk back into Scarlett's body, and all of the neat rips were somehow sewn up. Scarlett flopped onto the bed, her breath coming in short, ragged gasps. "Why... What..." she wept, turning her face to them.

_What exactly was wrong?_

**SCARLETT**

"Are you sure? You aren't worried I'll hurt you?" she asked, her voice cracking.

"Nah, not really! But our teacher is an expert on Alchemy! If anyone can figure these arrays out, she can!" Edward grinned, still holding the ticket out to her. "I'm not worried about you hurting us; I'm worried about you hurting yourself."

_Why...? Why...?_

"O-okay..." she said, taking the slip and following them.

_Why are they so kind? Why aren't they scared of me?_

_Is it really kindness? Or possibly pity?  
_

_No... These feelings are of kindness. I can tell just by looking.  
_

Half-way to Rush Valley, she felt something was wrong. She jumped up. "No..."

"Scarlett? What's wrong?" asked Winry.

"Hughes..." she murmured. "Hughes is..."

"What's wrong with Hughes?" Edward asked, his cheery attitude lost. He was now serious.

"Hughes is... gone..." she murmured. "Why am I feeling like this?"

_"Lose your fear. You can become brave then!"_

She gritted her teeth in anger.

_"Damn demon... I don't need you now! Come back tonight or write this all down so I can read it later!"_

"Don't worry. I'm sure he's fine." Winry tried to soothe.

"You can believe that... But I don't think it's true..." she said under her breath.

She was silent the rest of the trip, receded into herself. She knew something was wrong, but she couldn't tell what.


	4. Chapter 4

**EDWARD**

He couldn't see what was eating Scarlett. She was just overreacting for some weird reason. She kept her glasses pushed up and her hood covering her head. Her face cast into the shadows, she certainly did look worried.

When they got to Rush Valley, Winry got very excited over all the auto-mail everywhere. He was even a little startled. But Scarlett didn't seem interested, instead casting about curiously.

_That's right. She said there were a few titanium deposits here. She must be looking for them._

Someone spotted his auto-mail, and a big ruckus started. Over it all, he managed to see Scarlett dodging around people towards a fleeing back. He eventually managed to get away from everyone, and at the same time, he saw Scarlett dragging someone to them. "Hey! What's going on?" he called.

"Someone tried to nick something. Why don't you give it back?" Scarlett answered.

"I didn't take nothing!" the girl protested.

"Don't lie! I saw you pick Ed's pocket!" the Ishvalan female shot back.

"If you wanna go, I'll fight you right here!"

Scarlett grinned.

_Not good!_

"Scarlett, don't go picking fights now!" he laughed nervously.

"Stay out of this, Fullmetal. Okay, here's the conditions. If I win, you give him his trinket back. If you win, I'll let you slip." Scarlett said, pushing her glasses up and her hood down.

"Scarlett!" he yelled.

"Brother, what's going on?" Al asked, he and Winry coming up behind him.

"Not good! Scarlett just picked a fight!" he told them.

"Why?" Winry gasped.

"She claims the girl took something of mine, but the girl protests that. The conditions are that if Scarlett wins, the girl gives it back, and if she loses, the girl gets away!" he growled, turning back to the fight.

While he wasn't looking, the fight had started. "Hey! Quit holding back on me! That's not fair!" the girl complained.

"No! No, you don't want that!" he shouted.

"Your funeral." Scarlett growled, taking off her glasses.

No one really saw her next move. They just saw the blur as she kicked the girl's feet out from beneath her. Scarlett then withdrew about one foot, letting the girl fall to the ground.

"Scarlett!" they all yelled.

"Stay out of this!" she yelled back, again striking, her glasses slipped back on.

**SCARLETT**

_She relies on her two auto-mail legs, speed, and incredible jumping skills when in trouble. One has a miniature cannon, the other a blade. So I'll just have to be quicker!_

_Time to finish this!_

She ducked down as the girl's leg swung at her. When it was directly over her head, she arched her back, standing up. The girl was thrown off-balance. "Give up yet?" she asked, standing over her.

"Ow... Yeah, I think so... But that was amazing! It was like you knew exactly what I was gonna do!" the girl grinned, chucking Ed's watch up to her.

"I guess. I'm Scarlett, if you couldn't tell from their yelling." she replied, throwing the watch over her shoulder and helping the girl up in one smooth motion.

"Paninya!" the girl grinned.

**EDWARD**

_Scarlett had finished the fight up almost the second she removed her glasses!_

He was still amazed, even though it was almost night-time. Paninya had invited them to stay with her and the family she lived with. The woman living there was pregnant, and she was due any day.

Sighing, he made to enter the next room. But the door was slammed open and into his face. "Ack! Sorry!" Scarlett yelled as she ran past.

"What's wrong?" he called after her.

"Baby!"

His mind went blank.

_She can't possibly mean... Could it be... That the baby's coming?_

She did.

Dominick, the man who made Paninya's auto-mail, was already on his way through the currently raging storm to fetch the doctor. Winry and Scarlett had taken charge of the situation. He and Al were told to go elsewhere.

"It's scary, listening to that." he quivered.

"Yeah..." Al, too, was trembling.

"I can't take it anymore!"

At that scream, they both cowered.

Finally, the door opened, and Paninya stumbled out. "Paninya! What happened? Is everything okay?"

"I-I couldn't take it... All that blood..." she gasped.

He and Al looked just inside the door. Winry was collapsed on the floor. "Winry? Is everything okay?" he asked, afraid of what the answer could be.

"L-look..." she pointed, panting.

Scarlett and the two adults were fussing over a small baby. Scarlett adjusted her glasses, and for just a second, he saw her red eyes. He knew she was examining the baby, making sure it was okay.

She looked up, and fear entered his mind. But then she smiled, and he knew it was okay.

**SCARLETT**

"Are you sure you can't take on an apprentice?" Edward asked coyly.

She rolled her eyes. She knew Dominick wouldn't say yes... But he was going to suggest her to a different person.

Sighing, she went outside.

_The birth of a child is a blessing. All should be happy about that..._

So why was she feeling sorrow and darkness?

_"Let go of fear... You can be brave that way!" the demon laughed._

_"Can I really? Be brave without fear?" she asked it._

_"Of course!" The demon extended a hand. She reached out to take it..._

_"Yuuki!"_

She shot awake. She'd dozed off without realizing it.

_Someone that knew her real name was still alive._

She had just received a premonition... She thought. Could it be possible that someone who knew her was still alive?

**SCAR**

_"Yuuki!"_

He shot awake. He was covered in a cold sweat. But why was he hearing that name?

"She couldn't possibly be alive. She vanished." he told himself.

_Yuuki had been his friend... Ten years younger than him, a friend of him and his brother..._

_But she was gone._

He'd have to accept that.


	5. Chapter 5

**SCARLETT**

"You two are bloody cowards. You wanted to come!" she snapped.

"Yeah, but... You weren't her student..." Al whimpered.

"Oh, for... Just knock already, before I bash Ed's skull in!"

They knocked, and a large man, rather like Armstrong, answered. Ed and Al were both terrified. She didn't see why.

"Who's your friend?" the man, Sig, asked slowly.

"This is Scarlett! Scarlett, Sig!" Ed answered quickly and nervously.

"Nice to meet you, sir." she nodded.

They were led around the side of the house. Edward and Alphonse were quaking with fear. She still couldn't understand why.

_Unless this woman is powerful enough to take down a whole damn army on her own, these two are just being weak!_

The door was kicked open and Ed went flying. She understood then, and lowered her glasses to take a quick look.

Alphonse went down quickly as well. The woman turned to her and she jammed her glasses back up. "So, that's why they were so terrified of coming here." she said simply.

"And who might you be?" the woman asked, her hands on her hips.

"I'm called Scarlett. I shed my real name quite a while back."

"You have some interesting tattoos there, Ms. Scarlett." the woman said, approaching.

_Watch out!_

She leaned backwards, barely avoiding the quick move. Her arm snapped up, ready to strike...

But...!

"Aw, shit!"

She spun away just as the array-covered blade shot out of her arm. She screamed as small red dots littered the lawn. "Shit... Shit, it hurts so damn bad... Why does this happen..." she growled.

_"Because you're afraid!"_

She gasped. There was truth in that statement. Every time the blades had ripped through her tough skin, she'd been afraid.

"What was that?"

"They do that... When I'm scared..." she gasped, still clutching her arm. The silver blade refused to vanish.

"Th-that's part of why we c-came here, Teacher..." Ed stammered from his place on the ground.

"Because of your friend's mysterious arrays activated by fear?"

"Yes... They said if anyone could figure it out, you could. But with the complexity they have and what they seem to do, I think the only ones able to tell us are the ones who gave me these tattoos." she said softly.

**EDWARD**

He was shocked. Izumi had openly admitted that Scarlett's arrays were on a totally different level from her!

Izumi had figured out quickly that Scarlett was an Ishvalan. Scarlett had been scared right then, and more blades had cut her skin open.

But why was Scarlett so distracted then? She had seemed to be listening to something only she could hear. Like a voice in her head.

_Maybe she does have voices in her head. Maybe she has split personalities from being experimented on. Maybe the Alchemic trans-mutation combining her with the titanium not only changed her bones into it, made her skin super-tough, and made her eyes super, but gave her hearing a boost? Who knows?_

"Anything else you'd like to add?" Izumi shocked him out of his stupor.

Scarlett seemed a little at war with herself. "A... A little..." Her fists were clenched. "I feel that there's someone out there that knows my name. Not as I am today... But who I was. Yuuki, the Brave One..."

"So your name meant the Brave One? It suits you. How do you feel someone you knew is alive?" Izumi asked.

Scarlett's fists were clenched even tighter. "I have these dreams, every night, with this little demon. She always laughs, telling me to become brave, I must release fear. I tell her, no that's insanity. Bravery is from over-coming fear. But she just laughs, growing into me. She tells me I'm terrified and I need to release fear. Normally, something bad happens, either in real life or my dream. But recently, I've started to consider accepting her deal. But when I reach for her hand, I hear someone yell my name. I whip around, but I'm left standing alone in a train-yard. The train-yard shows signs of a battle that was there... a water-tower spilling water, two exploded coal-cars, ripped-up track, tire skid-marks, bullet-holes, and even faint traces of blood. But I'm all alone, and there's no one there, not even the demon. And recently, I don't even have to be asleep to hear the demon."

Now she gasped, her heads whipping up to her head.

"Scarlett!" they all yelled as she fell off her chair and lay unmoving on the floor.

**SCARLETT**

_"No! Shut up! I don't need you!" she screamed, hands on the sides of her head, tattoos flickering._

_"But you do! You need my bravery, not the fake stuff you call bravery!" the demon cackled._

_"Shut up, damnit!" she screamed, lashing out at the demon. But as she did, she felt like someone had struck her in the side of the face. "Damn you! Don't you dare punch me!"_

_"I didn't." The demon was holding the side of her face as well. "You hit us. Don't you see, Yuuki? I am you. Anything you do to me, it bounces right back!"_

_"Then... Then..."_

_Grinning wickedly, the demon extended her hand. Hesitantly, she reached out to take it._

_"No, Yuuki!"_

_She spun around, and this time..._

_The four she'd befriended stood there. The Elrics and the two she'd known for a long time. "If you take her hand, you'll be swallowed by insanity! Don't listen to her!" the all yelled._

_"Oh, but you should, Yuuki..." the demon purred, turning her face the other way._

_The demon still wore her face, but now it was different. It looked more like the one she'd seen when she was combined with the titanium. Hair flying in the wind, blades protruding from her body, eyes glowing blue just like her tattoos. It was winter with the demon._

_"No! Don't go to her!" someone yelled, grabbing her hood._

_Turning, she saw the younger of the two brothers from Ishval. He stood in a forest of green._

_"Don't listen to them."_

_It all vanished, and she was left alone in the wrecked train-yard... No..._

_A young girl stood behind her, a young boy in front of her. The boy had gray hair and purplish eyes. On his forehead was a silver star. The girl had blue eyes and golden hair. On her forehead was a black moon, and in her hair was a blue bow. "Don't listen to them, Scarlett." they said, in the same voice and at the same time._

_"Why... Why shouldn't I?" she gasped._

_"If you let everyone choose the path you walk, you'll become lost. Follow your own path, Scarlett. Don't let anyone influence you into choosing the wrong path."_

_"But... aren't you...?"_

_They were gone._

_"Yuuki..."_

_She turned..._

_And saw Scar._

She shot awake. The Elrics and Izumi hovered over her. "Are you alright, Scarlett?" Izumi asked.

"To what extent?" she answered.

**SCAR**

_The two smiled at him. "Follow the path you have chosen, Scar. Don't let anyone try to lead you astray. You'll find who you're looking for at the other end." they said._

_"Wait..."_

_Too late. They were gone. He was left on a path. Slowly, he followed it._

_It let out into a wrecked train-yard. In the middle of the train-yard was someone he felt he knew._

_"Yuuki..." he murmured._

_The girl turned..._

_And he saw she was Scarlett._

His eyes shot open. Quietly, he sat up.

"Yuuki..." he murmured. "Are you alive, Yuuki?"

**EDWARD**

It'd been a few days since Scarlett's collapse. Izumi had found out their secret, exiled them, then excepted them back. Scarlett had seemed far more independent, strongly objecting when people tried to make her do something against her will.

_Something happened when she passed out..._

That had to be the answer. But whenever he confronted her about that, her tattoos flickered and he ran away, afraid she'd mastered the mysterious Alchemy and would stab him. He'd seen the blades. They were huge, disobeying the law of equivalent exchange if they were just her bones!

But when Al went missing, he had no choice but to ask her for help.

However, he couldn't find her either...

"Darn it, you'd think I'd be able to keep track of a tattooed teenager and a seven-foot suit of armor!" he swore.

"I can help..." Turning, he saw what looked like a Chimera.

**SCARLETT**

_He's fast, can regenerate wounds, and has a carbon-based shield he uses to cover himself._

_They're all Chimeras, loyal to him. There's one inside Al. One of the Chimeras went to fetch Edward._

"So, who are you? You never answered."

"Sorry. I always assess my opponents' strengths and weaknesses first. And I don't exactly have a name anymore, just call me Scarlett. I'm a friend of the Elrics. One of whom you seem to be holding captive." she said nonchalantly.

"Scarlett, be careful!" Al warned.

"I know. You saw me remove these. You know I know what they are and what they're capable of." she sighed, tapping her glasses.

"Oh... right..." If Al had a body, he'd be blushing.

"From what I understand, there's something special about you. And you don't smell exactly human, either." One of the Chimeras said.

"Because I'm not. I'm an Ishvalan survivor, saved by pure dumb luck and subjected to horrible things in exchange. Including becoming a Chimera myself. Not like you... I'm on a whole 'nother level." she smiled, removing her glasses as the tattoos on her right forearm glowed. The large blade shot out and blood splattered the floor.


	6. Chapter 6

**SCARLETT**

That was the moment Edward chose to show up. "Okay, Scarlett, why did you take off without telling me!" he yelled, pinning her first.

"If I went and told you, I would've lost Al when he went wandering off, and then neither of us would've been ale to find him. Simple as that." she said simply.

"No, it is not that simple!" he yelled angrily.

_Someone behind her was bringing a weapon down!_

She spun around, her arm whipping up. The blade sliced cleanly through the weapon as she kicked the wielder in the stomach.

"Wow, talk about pissed." Greed commented.

"You kidding? You kidnapped Alphonse, Ed's brother and my friend. It's natural that we're pissed to heck with you!" she snapped.

_Keep it cool._

_Don't let anything get to you._

_If they aggravate you, you're walking their path._

_Follow your own path._

She dropped the stance she had assumed, the blade in her arm vanishing and the rip sealing up. She stood, totally relaxed, taking a deep breath.

_"I am in control. No one else is. I am in control. I am walking my own path, no one else's. I am Scarlett, formerly Yuuki. I am a fighter, one who strives to protect."_

"Wake up!"

Her eyes shot open. All of the Chimeras had left with Al. She was left with Greed and Edward. Ed was already pretty banged up. As Greed flew at her, she smoothly dodged him. "This is how I work." she said softly.

_What the...!_

Her vision had become different. Now it showed small graphs and statistics. A few vectors pointed to different parts of Greed, information listed at the other end. She grinned. She didn't know how that had happened, but she loved it already!

**GREED**

She'd seemed asleep on her feet. He'd ditched the boy and charged her. At that moment, her eyes had opened and she'd smoothly ducked, making him miss. Shock was written across her face for one second, but then it was replaced by triumph. "Edward! The Shield is carbon-based! Hit it with some Alchemy!" she ordered.

"'Kay!"

Edward jumped onto his arm, clapping his hands to his arm. He shook the boy off, making to strike the girl. She put her fist up to meet his, and the Shield covering his arm shattered. "Beware me, Greed. I'm not human anymore, and I seem to develop new skills as I progress!" she snarled.

He growled, regenerating his arm and putting his Shield up again.

Then the wall fell and another new-comer arrived.

**EDWARD**

For the first time, Scarlett looked scared of Izumi. He understood. She looked really scary now! But her help was welcomed. They managed to combine all of their fighting skills, Alchemy, and Scarlett's new skill into making him scramble for an exit when Izumi was down.

But then came the soldiers.

He was scared for some reason. What if they were there for Scarlett?

They eventually recovered Alphonse. He was somehow passed out, with one of the Chimeras dead inside him. While he was out, they removed the girl from his armor.

Almost the second Al woke up, the Fuhrer came. They had a short conversation, but it ended quickly.

Bradley turned to Scarlett. She was sitting quietly, her hood up and glasses on. Her back was turned to them as she crouched in the dark. As if feeling his gaze, she turned around. "Can I help you?" she asked softly.

"You must be the tattooed Ishvalan that I've heard about."

He and Al panicked for just a second.

"I hear you're against Scar and forgive us for what happened to your country." the Fuhrer continued.

"Against him? Yes. I'm not forgiving you for what you did. I simply don't hold grudges like him. There are sometimes times when I consider joining him, but then I think how I may be able to change the way the world sees my people." she said softly. "Not everyone is good, but not everyone is evil, either. Some are neither, remaining neutral. Until I have found where I stand exactly, I remain on my path of neutrality."

"You're very brave, especially sine you seem to know me." Bradley told her.

"I was the girl that helped cause tension between our countries. The one that went missing. I was kidnapped and taken to a secret research facility. I was experimented on and turned into a Chimera. My eyes especially are something to be reckoned with. I can tell a lot..."

For one instant, he saw an almost wicked grin on her face.

"... just by looking."

"Well, you remember that we will permit you to roam free. But if you show the slightest intention of harming this country or anyone in it, I'll have you killed." Bradley told her.

"That is understood. I know how it works."

As the Fuhrer walked away, he crawled over to Scarlett. "Are you crazy?" he hissed.

"I really don't think you want an accurate answer there."


	7. Chapter 7

**EDWARD**

He didn't understand. Scarlett had told him he didn't want an answer.

_She really is confusing... He didn't understand her. What was she hiding?_

They had to arrange to go to Rush Valley, because his arm was slightly banged up...

Slightly being an understatement.

Scarlett was silent on the trip to Rush Valley. She had retreated into the depths of her mind. Occasionally, she'd have a maniacal grin on her face, or frown as if something was wrong. A few times, she murmured about black moons and silver stars, and the small demon she dreamed about.

Even when they'd gotten to the shop, Scarlett was quiet. She chuckled a little when he got nailed with a wrench, but other than that she was silent.

"Oi, hold up you two."

Winry had needed to shop for a few parts needed for his arm, so they had walk-around time. Scarlett had stopped in front of an alley and was looking at something collapsed in it. "I think ya may wanna look at this." she said, leaning down and picking it up.

It was a young man.

**SCARLETT**

She'd just decided she liked this character. Ling Yao, a Xingese immigrant. He seemed likeable enough, unless you happened to be his enemy. Which she wasn't!

_"You are attracted to him because of his confused character!" the demon laughed._

_"Don't listen to her! He's not like she makes him out!" yelled her friend.  
_

_"Follow your own path." the mysterious children chorused.  
_

_"Gah, shut up! All of you! I'm not listening!"_

She wasn't going to listen to any of them right now. She was the one in control.

Ed and Al both froze as Ling suddenly produced two body-guards out of nowhere. "Pity I'm not fighting. Otherwise you'd have to get off you ass and fight me yourself." she sighed.

"Scarlett, you traitor!" Ed snarled.

"I'm not a traitor, I'm just not fighting. Maybe I'll jump into one of your fights and stab someone with my blades, or whack the nearest person on the head and knock them out, but that's about it." she waved his verbal abuse off.

"So you're not one of them?" Ling asked curiously.

"Nope. I'm only really a tag-a-long. I'll help them if it suits me. Which it doesn't right now. I'm just sitting here and listening to the voices in my head. Interesting characters. all they do is argue over who gets to control me."

As Ed and Al ran off, she remained with Ling.

"Your chi certainly is interesting. I've never felt one so strong and unbreakable. You wouldn't happen to know anything about the Stone, would you?" Ling queried.

"Other than the fact that it's a vile thing made using human souls and that I spent a good time of my life as a test-subject in a lab where they were made. Disgusting thing." she growled. "Hey! Get me some too!"

"Sure thing!" the restaurant owner said enthusiastically.

Ling had almost choked on his food. "H-human souls? Are you serious?" he stuttered.

"You really don't wanna know too much about me or the purpose I serve, so I'd suggest putting a zipper on it, pal."

Sighing, she stood up. "Well, I think I wanna go knock someone out. Seeya, prince. And before you ask, I can tell just by looking."

She followed the smoke and dust-clouds to where Ed was. She watched from the shadows, as he and his female opponent danced closer and closer...

**EDWARD**

"What the- Look out!" he yelled.

She spun around, but too late. Scarlett swung her arm, and it collided with the base of the girl's skull. "Scarlett! Why the hell did you do that!" he screamed angrily.

"You want some of this too?" she asked, raising her arm.

"No, but that wasn't right!"

"The world isn't fair or right. If was, neither word would exist. And anyway, I just won the fight for you."

"Oh, so Scarlett decided to help after all?" Al asked, coming up with his opponent tucked under his arm.

"No, just to knock her out!" he yelled.

"Quit yelling. You're stretching my patience." Scarlett sighed.

"That was really something! How'd you do that!" Ling was crouched a little behind Scarlett.

"Wanna punch me and see how many fingers you break?" Scarlett asked simply, turning to face him. "Edward, punch me as hard as you can."

"Good idea!" he growled. He drew his fist back and struck- and his arm fell off. "Gah! Winry's gonna kill me! You did that on purpose!" he wailed.

"That didn't even budge her! And what's wrong with her chi?" gasped the old man body-guard.

"I'm a Chimera and I'm a little at war with my inner self. Quit being nosy or I'll bite you or possibly knock you out too." the teenager threatened, her tattoos glowing brightly. "Shit!" she yelled as all of the blades she had ripped through her body.

"What the..." Ling gasped.

"She can do that. She was experimented on and combined with some rare metal called titanium. It's supposedly the strongest stuff ever." Ed informed him.

"It is! One one millimeter wire made of titanium can hold up to one ton before it breaks!" Scarlett snapped.

"So... That means you're... Stronger than the major?" he yelled in shock.

He was answered with a fist to the face and a snarky reply. "Theoretically, yes! As soon as I get the chance to test it, I'll let you know!"

"Oh, ow... I think your knuckles are spiked or something..." he whimpered, twitching on the ground.

"They're reinforced, that's all. Get up and haul your ass to the shop, 'cause you look like shit."

"He'll look worse when Winry's done with him."

Al's comment was also met with a fist to the face that threw him to the ground.

**SCARLETT**

_"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" she screamed, sick of listening to the squabble in her head._

_"You two! You want me to follow my own path, correct? Well, here's my path: A zig-zag between these two! I'm working them in day-in day-out shifts! Now everyone shut up! Today I'm following the demon's path, so shut up and leave me alone!"  
_

_Her instructions having been given out, the two children and her old friend faded out. The demon grinned, extending a hand. "I'm not releasing all fear. I'm just gonna be a little bit worse every day I have you, a little bit better every day I have my friends."  
_

She smiled. So she was gonna be a little bad... Not like she was killing anyone or anything!


	8. Chapter 8

**SCARLETT**

It was about a day after the Rush Valley episode. They were back in Central.

"So, where are we going?" she asked, catching up to Ed and Al.

"I thought you were just a tag-a-long?" Ed sneered.

"One knuckle-sandwich, in the kitchen and coming right up, sir." she shot back, slinging her sweat-shirt over her shoulder.

"Fine... I have to check in with Hughes. I told him I'd drop in whenever we were in Central. Winry already went ahead to his place." Ed sighed, shaking his head.

She stopped.

_Something was wrong with Hughes..._

"I... I don't think he'll be there..." she said softly. The brothers didn't hear her.

At the Central Command-center, they ran into Mustang and Hawkeye. When Ed asked if they'd seen Hughes, she quickly stepped in.

"He isn't here, is he? Is he okay?" she asked.

"Why would you say that?" Mustang said. "He retired and took his family out to the country to take over the family business."

"That's a lie, and I know he's not alright!" she hissed. She was worried, and she almost didn't want an answer. He tattoos flickered, and everyone took a step away. But the light faded and died. "What... happened..." she said through clenched teeth.

Mustang sighed. "Hughes is dead."

Her eyes widened, and she dropped her shirt. Then her head hung.

"Wha... Wha... But..."

Ed just couldn't find the words to speak. Then he turned and ran. "Brother!" Al ran after his older brother.

"How did you know?" Hawkeye asked her.

"I felt it." she said softly, putting a hand on her chest. "We were about half-way to Rush Valley when I felt like Hughes was in trouble. Everyone told me it was nothing and I shouldn't worry, but I just couldn't... I knew something was wrong..."

_It's okay to feel pain._

Her eyes teared up, and she didn't try to stop them. "I'm going after them." she said softly.

"Scarlett..." Mustang stopped her.

"You're a very brave, strong girl. The way you feel pain and make no attempt to hide it makes you even stronger and braver. However, I'm sure Hughes wouldn't want you to cry. Go on with your life. Don't let his helping you be in vain." the man ordered.

"Yes sir..." she said softly.

**EDWARD**

There was a dull knock on the door. Gracia answered it.

"Hello, Scarlett. From your face, you already found out."

"She knew the second it happened..." he growled. He clenched his fists, feeling pain and anguish well up inside him. "We shoulda listened to her... She knew something was wrong..."

"He wouldn't want us to cry."

He stopped, looking up.

"Hughes wouldn't have wanted us to cry. Go on with our lives, and don't let his help all be in vain." Scarlett had a small smile on her face. "So don't cry. That's not what he would want."

"Heh, and since when have you been all philosophical like this?" he sighed.

"Right now..."

They stayed for a little longer, then found a hotel to stay at. There was very little discussion.

**SCARLETT**

They pounded through the streets.

_They had to find her... Had to find her..._

Maria Ross had just been accused of murdering Hughes, and tonight she'd broken out.

_They had to find her... Had to find her..._

_They had to find her... Had to find her..._

She knew the woman very little, but really liked her. She was kind and compassionate. She couldn't have possibly killed Hughes!

_There!_

"Ahh!"

_She knew those two as well!_

"How the hell did you get here? I thought you were dead!" she and Number 68 both yelled.

"You two know each other?" Ed asked.

"Ahh! It's you!" Al and Number 68 both yelled.

"Ling! What the hell..." Ed trailed off, shaking his head. "Maria, we wanna talk to you about the murder!"

"Uh..."

Number 68 stepped between them. He gave instructions to Maria that she followed quickly. "Not so fast, 68..." she growled, lowering her glasses.

"Aw, crap!" 68 lunged for her as she took off past him, but she was too fast for him.

"Go, Scarlett!" Ed and Al both yelled.

She ran pel-mel through the alleys. She saw a flare of light at the end of the alley she was running through and felt the faint heat. She lowered her glasses and analyzed it as a fire-blast from Roy Mustang. She put the pedal to the metal now, scared of what she'd find.

"You..."

She had found what she feared.

Mustang stood over a charred corpse, and on the ground next to it was the chain Maria had had on her wrist. "You... You..." she growled.

"What? Is that all you can say?" he asked coolly.

"You fucking monster! That's barbaric, almost as bad as what you did to my people! Monster! Demon! Bastard!" she screamed, turning and running back down the way she'd come, tears streaming off her face.

"Scarlett?" Ed asked as she ran past.

"Colonel Fucking Bastard!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. "Colonel Fucking Monster Bastard Demon Barbarian!"


	9. Chapter 9

**EDWARD**

"Colonel Fucking Monster Bastard Demon Barbarian!"

Scarlett had just run past them, and when he'd called her name, she'd screamed that. And when they approached the end of the alley, he saw why. "Colonel..." he gasped.

"Hello, Fullmetal." Mustang said coolly, his face blank.

"You... What Scarlett said is right! Bastard! Monster!"

He didn't pause now, running down the alley after Scarlett. She'd been right behind Maria. There was no doubt that was the woman who'd once been his body-guard.

_But that didn't look anything like her! It was just a hunk of charcoal!_

The two brothers went back to the hotel. Scarlett was in her room, and through the door they could hear her sobbing. Winry stood outside. "I tried to go in, but she yelled at me to stay out."

"I won't be so easily deterred..." Ed said bravely, opening the door and entering the dark room.

"Get out!"

He got a pillow in his face. "I'm not-"

"I said get out!"

He instinctively ducked, and hearing a smash, felt lucky he did. "Get out, nit-wit!"

Scarlett's voice was blood-chilling. She yelled again, throwing something even larger again. And then he heard a loud splintering above his head as he advanced again and realized she'd thrown a chair. "Scarlett-"

Something huge clipped his shoulder as it flew past, and with the splintering and the shower of saw-dust he heard, he concluded it was a table. He kept advancing, scared now. "I said get out!" Scarlett screamed with the force of a banshee, grabbing the front of his shirt.

He flinched, his body tensing as he waited to be thrown.

"Get out... Just get out..." Scarlett sobbed. He could hear he knees hit the floor, and she buried her face in his chest. "It's not fair... Just not fair..."

"Hey, don't cry. It's okay. We're still here." he told her, wrapping his arms around her shoulders.

"Everyone around me... Everyone around me keeps on dying... It's not fair..." the teenager wailed.

He felt odd, soothing a girl four years older than him. But in a way, he needed to do it. It made him feel better.

After he fixed all of the broken items Scarlett had thrown or just pulverized, the two went into his room with Al and Winry. It took quite a while, because she'd apparently thrown a fit, and with her super-strength she got from the titanium, had broken and thrown things.

"So, what's gonna happen now?" Scarlett broke the silence, laying on the bed and braiding and unbraiding her hair.

"I have no clue." he answered.

There was a knock at the door, and he went to answer.

**SCARLETT**

Edward went flying as someone punched him squarely. For a moment, she couldn't think of anything but how perfect that blow was.

Then Armstrong came in.

Instinctively, she groaned, rolling her eyes. He rambled for a bit about how Ed's arm was apparently broken and how they'd go to Resembool to fix it. Her eyes narrowed.

_Winry's right here..._

Things got even more suspicious when the major told Al he'd have to stay for fear of attracting too much attention. She got up and ran for the door, but it was already slammed shut.

"What the hell was that? A kidnapping attempt?" she hollered as she opened the door. She got socked in the gut, just barely winding her, but the major picked her up, rambling about how she seemed to be having some trouble breathing and some of the best doctors were in Resembool. "Maj-or!" she whined in the lobby.

"Yeah, can you put us down?" Ed agreed.

They were met with silence.

"I can very easily punch you in the eye from here, and bloody your nose as well!" she growled.

Still no answer.

"Can you at least tell us what's going on?" Ed tried.

And still they were given no answer.

"What's with the silent treatment? I'm getting really miffed here!"

They were given no explanation until they'd reached Resembool. There, Armstrong told them that he was ordered to bring them here and look for a familiar face. They quickly enough found Breda to be the familiar face.

The plan, apparently, was to ride into the desert. That was fine by her. The titanium she was mixed with would let her stand that severe heat. Not to mention she was from a desert tribe!

_But why... Why the desert?_

They rode to the ruins of Xerxes. She knew this place. She'd been here before.

_"How do you know it? Tell me that." her friend said softly. "You can tell me."_

_"I don't know. But I've been here before, I just don't remember when."_

_"We came here to play once. Don't you remember?"_

_"No. Not much."_

"No. Not much. I don't remember much before the lab now." she whispered to herself. "Why don't I remember anything...?"

She started to panic.

_"Calm down! That was a very traumatic experience, and you didn't see anyone for a long time. It's understandable that..."_

_"...You wouldn't remember much..."_

_Eyes wide with fear, she turned around. She was alone... Again..._

_"How can I get people to stay with me? I don't want to disappear like this!" she screamed, hands on her head._

**EDWARD**

There was a loud thud, and they all spun around. Scarlett had collapsed. "Scarlett!" he yelled, jumping off of his camel and running back to her. "Scarlett?" he asked, touching her skin. It was cool.

"What's wrong with her?" Breda asked, coming back to them.

"I have no clue... This happened once before... She sort of passed out and had an inner war... But she screamed last time, and her tattoos were activated..." he said, trying to figure it out.

_"I don't want to disappear like this! I don't! I don't want to vanish! How can I get everyone to see me? How do I not vanish?"_

He gasped.

_That was Scarlett's voice!_

Why was he hearing Scarlett?

_"Scarlett's inner self is torn between four different ways."_

_He turned around. There was a little Ishvalan girl there. Her silver hair was kept in a pony-tail and her red eyes were large and serious. "Who are you?" he asked._

_"I'm one of the ways Scarlett is torn. She's torn between the ways of her old friends, the demon that is herself, the twilight twin, and..." The little girl's hand came up, pointing at him. "... And you, Edward. She is unsure whether to abandon the secret of her tattoos and go live with survivors, release all her fear and become a monster, follow a path all her own and not listen to anyone that orders her to do something against her will, or..."_

_"Or what? Tell me!" he yelled._

_"... or help you uncover the secret of her tattoos and help all of you return to normal. She's unsure as what to do."_

_"Well, she should pick for herself! I'm not here to-"_

_The girl was gone. He was left alone in the dark._

_Then the whispering began. Then came the voices under the whispering. Then the screaming, along with someone whispering how they were going to be seen. "Shut up!" he yelled._

He woke up. Scarlett was awake, trying to push herself up. He tried to get up, but found himself drained. "What was that, Scarlett?" he asked.

"What... was what?" she asked.

"I saw a young girl. She told me she was one of the ways you're torn."

"Yellow hair, blue bow, black moon?"

"No... Ishvalan."

Scarlett cocked her head, thinking. "No... I don't recall that... There's... No, that's not one of the ways I see." she told him, getting shakily to her feet and climbing back on her camel.

Sighing, he jumped onto his camel.

_Was the girl lying?_

_"I'm not lying. She just hasn't seen me."_

_"Great. So, tell me..."_

_"Yes?"_

_"Why am I hearing voices now? Am I going crazy?"_

_"The crazy insist they aren't, the sane insist they're crazy. You aren't crazy. Scarlett's voices spread to others within range when she's in serious trauma. There's only so much room in her mind for voices..."_

_"... Before she runs out of room..."_

_The girl had vanished. He turned, eyes wide, to see he was in a snowy land-scape, facing the Scarlett that she'd always described. She glared at him, then swung her arm up and brought it down..._

He shook his head. He was thinking of the most bizarre things lately. Scarlett would never slice him! He thought...


	10. Chapter 10

**SCARLETT**

"Oi."

She'd found Edward surrounded by Ishvalans after they'd found out Maria was still alive. Now, all of them looked at her.

"Let 'im go." she said, climbing the stairs up to them. Her hands were in her pockets. Her hood was up and her glasses on. They probably couldn't tell she was of their race.

"Who the heck are you to tell us what to do?" someone growled.

"I'm the one that knows Edward won't fetch a hefty price if you ransom him. He's been a little rough on his leash lately." she said. "I also have more tricks up my sleeve than any of you, literally. If needed, I'll take him back by force." she warned.

"Scarlett, you won't attack yo-"

"Shut up. I'm still miffed at you." she told him.

"For what! Going in your room?"

"Genius, figure it out!"

"So, who are you again?"

"Call me Scarlett. and I'm serious when I say I'll take him by force if necessary." she sighed, pulling up her sleeve and tracing a few of her tattoos. "I didn't ask for this curse, but it comes in handy." she sighed, shaking her hood down and taking her glasses off.

"What...?"

"My name before was Yuuki." she said softly. "But that was before I became a Chimera."

**EDWARD**

"Yuuki?"

He'd released his attacker by then. But now an old woman and young boy were approaching Scarlett.

"Yuuki? The one that went missing?"

"Yes. I'm still trying to find my family and friends." Yuuki answered. "Or even..."

"Your family was all killed. We're sorry."

"But... They were..."

Scarlett's eyes were full of innocent sorrow. "They shouldn't have... They were with... They were with them, weren't they?"

"With who?" he asked.

"Winry's parents... The Rockbells." Scarlett said softly, putting one fist over her heart. "What happened?"

"Wait! These guys knew the Rockbells?" he yelled, jumping down the stairs two at a time to her.

"You knew them?"

There was a little explanation, then Scarlett asked something. "Wh... What about my friends?..."

"When you went missing, they were frantic. They searched everywhere for you. Eventually they gave up and tried to forget about you, but they never could. And then..."

"Are they okay?" she almost shouted.

"Scarlett! Calm down!" he told her, reaching up and taking her shoulder.

"Their group was attacked by a State Alchemist. The older brother died, and the younger one wasn't found."

"Thanks..." Scarlett said, fists clenched and teeth gritted. "Thank you for telling me... Sorry for any trouble we've caused..."

Scarlett turned and walked away, waving smally. He waved and followed her.

_She has hope now... He could see it in her heart..._

_She acted coldly, but she's hiding warm feelings in her heart. She has hope that someone she knew survived..._

**SCARLETT**

Edward was a little confused as to why she was acting so coldly. She knew that. She could read it easily even without the vision she had in her eyes.

_He may be alive..._

She smiled smally. If he was alive, she wanted to see him.

_"Why? Do you love me?"_

_"Shut up. I'm not listening to anyone right now." she smiled. "I've got a heart to listen to and follow on my own. I don't need to listen to anything but that... The beating of my heart is what I'll follow..."_

_They all faded. She was left alone, but not in the dark. Now everything had a rosy pink light surrounding it. She stood... Facing herself?_

_Tears ran down 'her' cheeks. But also down hers._

_"You've chosen the right path, Yuuki... Brave One... Follow it. Don't listen to anything but your heart..."_

_'She' dissolved into petals. She knew those petals._

_They were of the supposedly scentless camellia. Everyone was wrong when they said that. She'd found that they did. It was just faint, over-laid by the scent of the surrounding flowers._

_"Thank you..."_

"Scar-lett... Hello?..."

She opened her eyes. "Mm? What, Edward?" she asked.

"You're starting to freak me out with these passing-out spells. What's going on?" he asked.

"Nothing, just another development in my combination!" she smiled.

"You always say that!" he whined.

"Whatever, when are we going back to Central? I want to see what I can find out..." she smiled, putting two fingers on her heart.

**EDWARD**

A few days later, they were back in Central. Both he and Scarlett panicked at the sight of Al.

Al was in pieces. So they had a good reason!

Afterwards, they shortly discussed Al's soul and body. Ling butted in at one point, and they got onto the subject of the Homunculi.

"They apparently want you alive for some reason. There has to be a good one behind wanting first one and then both." Scarlett said. "If you could..."

"Could what?" they all asked, looking at her.

"It's silly, but what if you were... to catch one?" Scarlett blushed.

"Scarlett, that's genius!" he yelled.

They quickly made their plans. He, Scarlett, and Al were to attract the attention of Scar, while Ling and Lan Fan found the Homunculi when they came to prevent Scar from killing Ed. Scarlett made it perfectly clear that she was going with him and Al. When he objected, she threw a lamp at him.

The very next day, they set their plan in motion.

A lot of people had things that were broken or needed some little tweak. He offered that through Alchemy!

The idea was to attract Scar by being very theatrical. Theatrical he was!

However, a certain someone came to ruin his fun...

"Hello, Fullmetal. I don't remember you being so public before."

Sighing, he turned around to look in the rolled-down window of the car behind them.

"Oh, screw that. There's a plan he's following. So there, don't spoil his fun." Scarlett told Mustang.

Afterwards, they went into an alley and had a heated conversation.

"Hi, you. Long time, no see."

Scarlett's brisk comment shut them all up and made them turn to the front of the alley. Scar stood there. "So, tell me... Did you know a girl called Yuuki?"

Scarlett's question had a startling affect on Scar. He didn't answer, but lunged at them. They fought long and hard. There was no answering flare from Ling to signal the capture of a Homunculus. Eventually...

Winry heard him.

She heard him say who killed her parents.

**SCARLETT**

Winry was upset for obvious reasons. To keep them safe while Edward comforted her, she struck out at Scar, chasing him away. She and Al chased after him.

They wound up in a train-yard.

_...a wrecked train-yard..._

"Alchemy may have trapped me in this body, but it also does good things! If I didn't believe in Alchemy, I wouldn't be believing in Brother!" Al cried.

Before anyone else could act, she did. She stepped between them. "You never answered, Scar." she said, lifting her face.

"What was the question?" the man asked.

"Did you know Yuuki? Answer honestly, please."

"Yuuki... How do you know her?"

"Answer me please."

"She was our friend. But then she went missing."

"Scarlett... Do you mean... This is your... Scar is your..."

"'Probably happy' and 'probably unhappy' are equally and cruelly divided in this world, Elric. So I guess..."

Her hand came up. "Hello. I'm Yuuki. I almost forgot you." she said, lifting her face, a small smile on her face as tears flowed down her face from closed eyes.

**SCAR**

"Yuuki..." he said softly, in shock. "But you went missing..."

"I was taken to a lab and tested on. Eventually, I was tattooed inside and out, then combined with the strongest material known to man to make the ultimate Chimera." she smiled, taking off the white sweat-shirt she wore to show her arms and face, covered in black lace.

"Well, now I know who you are. Unfortunately, we're on different sides now..."

He whipped his hand into the water passing by. The resulting steam hid him, and he leapt at the young Elric brother. But his hand landed on something that wasn't metal...

"I can't let you... And you don't understand my composition, so you can't hurt me." she smiled.

He was kicked away. The Fullmetal Alchemist was back.

Yuuki's head whipped to the side. "Incoming! Gluttony!" she yelled.

There was a small dust-cloud as something large landed near him. "No! Your attack won't do anything to him either! He'll just regenerate!" Yuuki warned him.

_Then what was he to do...!_

There was an explosion as a close-by man-hole cover flew off. A young man flew out and rashly attacked the thing.

Yuuki moved to stand in front of him. "I used your face as an image to keep going... I'm alive... Because of you." she said, raising her head. Her eyes were dull, yet full of sorrow. "I missed you, but now we have to fight. I'm sorry..."

There was a ripping noise as the tattoos on her right hand and left forearm glowed. Large silver blades were jutting from her skin. Long knife-like ones followed the bones in her fingers and one large wickedly curved one stuck out of her arm. "I'm sorry it has to be this way..."

There was a gun-shot, and he felt pain in his leg.

A woman drove up in a truck and took away the bound monster and the young man that helped the Elrics. But Yuuki didn't turn to watch. She just stood there, smiling softly, tears running down her face.

"I've done it again. I've made you cry." he said.

"No... This time it's my fault."

"Great! You kept 'im busy! Good job, Scarlett!" Fullmetal cheered, he and his brother taking up positions on either side of Yuuki.

Someone small toppled Alphonse, knocking over Edward next. He quickly identified it as May. "Don't-" he tried to warn her about Yuuki's unusual properties, but too late.

"Yow! What's up with her, mister?" May asked.

"She's a Chimera. Two things combined into one. She was combined with something she calls titanium, the hardest thing known to man. It's taken unusual twists in affects on her body. Including the fact that using her Alchemy, she can turn her bones into blades." he said. "She's also someone I knew when I was younger."

"Yuuki was my name then. My name now is Scarlett. I can tell a lot about something just by looking. I'm the ultimate Chimera. I'm the only Ishvalan to have been spared just to make a Chimera. I'm the only surviving creation of Lab Five. I'm a lot of things. But I don't know what I'm doing... Unless I listen..." Yuuki said softly, putting two fingers over her heart.

Her head rose up, shaking rhythmically. "I was Scar's friend... He and his brother were my only friends... But now I'm not so sure... I'm not so sure any more... Unless I listen... Don't you listen? Listen..." she said softly, smiling still. Tears still poured down her face. "Listen... Right now, it's saying that you're the enemy..."

Her smile vanished, replaced by a hard face.

_That's the face she'd wear when standing up to a bully or soldier._

Did that make him the bully?

"This is for Yuuki!"

**SCARLETT**

_Confusion._

_That's what she wanted._

_Yuuki was the camellia-blossom girl._

_She was Scarlett._

She leapt at the two, bringing her arms down.

At the last moment, the young Xingese girl performed some quick Alkahistory. She stopped, coughing in the choking coal-dust. She saw them disappear, but something was missing from them...


	11. Chapter 11

**SCAR**

She'd attacked. Still smiling, still crying.

"Yuuki..." he whispered.

"Mister Scar?"

He turned slightly to look at May.

"Who exactly was Yuuki?"

"She was a young girl my brother and I met. Her family and ours were friends. But Yuuki wasn't exactly a good girl. She eventually lost the approval of many people. But we found ourselves attracted to her rebellious streak. We became her only friends. Yuuki is ten years younger than myself. When she vanished, everyone searched, but no one ever found her. We gave her up for dead." he said simply.

"Then that woman with the weapons was your old friend?"

"Those weren't weapons."

"What? What were they then?" May cried in confusion.

"Those... Those were her bones. Yuuki is now a Chimera. And she's apparently shed her Ishvalan hatred of Alchemy."

**SCARLETT**

"That explains why I though something was missing from them." she said.

They were all looking at the small puff-ball Al held in his hands.

"First stray cats and now this! Al, go put it back!" Ed yelled. "Wait, you saw them and could've chased them?"

"Nit-wit!"

Edward toppled away from her, clutching his nose.

"Yes, I clearly saw them! But I could hardly move with all of the coal-dust in the air! Remember? Super-vision? Hello, earth to ninny!" she yelled angrily.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry... Damn, that hurt!"

"Titanium fist, nit-wit?"

"Sorry!"

At the building they were to see Winry at, the Fuhrer was talking to Winry. She froze in the door, for even longer than Ed or Al.

_She didn't want to see that man!_

Her heart screamed at her to run. She wanted to obey, but her legs were frozen!

_Run! Run! Run!_

Now her legs obeyed. Sweat-shirt over her shoulder, she turned and ran. She ran, not knowing why.

_Run... Run... Don't let him catch you... run..._

_Run... Run... Don't let him catch you... run..._

___Run... Run... Don't let him catch you... run..._

___Run... Run... Don't let him catch you... run..._

She obeyed her mind, running almost mindlessly. As she burst outside, she barely put her glasses on. She could hear people gawking and commenting about her tattoos. But she used Mustang's talent of ignoring snide comments to her advantage there and kept on running. She ran all the way to where Lan Fan, Ling, Mustang and Hawkeye were. Upon entering, she slammed the door and leaned heavily against it.

"What's wrong?"

Her head whipped up, her tattoos flaring. Mustang took a giant step back.

"S-sorry... Nothing... The Fuhrer..." she apologized, hanging her head.

"King Bradley? What about him?" the colonel asked.

"I don't want... to be... near him... He scares me..." she panted. "I know... that seems... childish... but..."

"No. It doesn't. Not to me." Ling growled from down the hallway.

"Elaborate?" she asked when Mustang left.

"He's a Homunculus. You must be too scared to look at him properly, otherwise you'd see his eye." the prince said.

"I can believe that. I really can. I've always been terrified whenever that man was near. Before I hid it, but now... He seems to be growing in size, almost. I'm too terrified to look right at him, instead focusing elsewhere." she nodded.

**EDWARD**

Scarlett had fled the room. He didn't know why.

He still thought about it when they were at the hide-out where they were keeping Gluttony.

Scarlett and Ling were curled up outside the room where Lan Fan was being operated on. Ling seemed almost ready to cry, and Scarlett had one fist clenched and the other shoved in her mouth, tears running down her face. "I knew as leader, I'd have to be ready to accept sacrifices. but I wasn't prepared to lose so much." Ling said softly.

The operation done, they all went to look at Gluttony, bound tightly in the next room.

Scarlett was gazing intently at him watching carefully. What he saw but didn't register, wrapped up in his argument with Ling and Mustang was her eyes widening. "Shut up!" she suddenly yelled, louder than all of them.

"Now what?" he asked, rubbing his ear.

"He heard something that made him a little pissed off..." Scarlett said.

They all peered in. Gluttony was growling and suddenly...

_His bonds broke. A... tear broke down his stomach and an eye opened up in the middle._

"Look out!" Scarlett threw herself on them all, out of the way.

**SCARLETT**

"Run!" she yelled.

They didn't listen. Mustang pulled on a glove and snapped... And the flame was swallowed.

"Run, earth to dumb-asses, run!" she screamed.

Finally, they listened.

"Well, that worked out well, colonel!" Ed yelled.

"If you have a better idea, be my guest!" the soldier yelled back.

"We could just leave you behind, colonel! You are the one he wants!" Al told the man.

"And I could ditch you all! Shut up and split at the trees!" she ordered.

They did as ordered, but something... Why was she feeling...?

She stopped.

_'Heart' says find others and regroup. Get colonel out of here... Find new threat and fight..._

_She must listen to 'Heart.'_


	12. Chapter 12

**SCARLETT**

"Wusses." she hissed.

They'd removed the wounded Mustang and Lan Fan along with Hawkeye and Doctor Nox from harm's way. Then she and the boys had gone back into the forest to tackle the challenge of Gluttony. All of them were trembling except her.

"Well, he doesn't look to happy..." Al murmured.

"Wusses."

_Danger!_

Ling whipped around. She followed his gaze. A dog stood there. She removed her glasses.

_Not really a dog! That's..._

"Homunculus." she growled.

"Stop this, Gluttony! Now!" the dog ordered.

Her eyes widened.

_That voice!_

"A talking dog?" Ed asked.

"Were you listening, ninny?" she snarled.

"Hey, pip-squeak. Long time no see." the dog snickered, turning into a human.

_No two doubts about it... That's..._

"You!" she screamed, flying at the Homunculus.

_Larger than his current size lets on. Shape-shifter that relies on that ability to survive. Also rather confused as to..._

_He didn't remember! How arrogant!_

"Excuse me, but who the hell are you?"

"How arrogant... You don't remember the little girl you thwocked upside the head and took to Lab Five?" she growled. "I know you're that soldier... I could never... never... never... ever... forget that voice..."

"Oh, it's you! I must say, you've certainly matured over the years! Nice to see you, how's it going?"

"A lot better now that I can cut you into pieces to my heart's desire..." she hissed, every blade in her body shredding her skin in order to free themselves. "So... Shall we begin, bastard?"

**EDWARD**

Scarlett certainly was mad. She wasn't listening to them. She was lunging again and again at Envy, catching him almost all the time, cutting him and neatly loping his limbs off.

"Scarlett!"

"Lemme go! Lemme go lemme go lemme go!" Scarlett roared, trying to fight Al off as Envy ran off.

Finally, his younger brother released the upset Ishvalan. Upon her release, she turned and punched Al hard in the breast-plate, leaving a large dent. "Why the hell did you hold me back?"

"We can't have you killing something we need!" Al shouted back.

"Whatever, he said he's here for Gluttony. So if we find that freak, we find Envy." Ling said coolly.

"Envy is mine! He's a bloody bastard that I wanna cut up to pieces so small none of them can regenerate! He deserves to burn in Hell!" Scarlett screamed angrily.

They wound up in front of the Homunculi after a minute of searching. Al had slight trouble holding Scarlett back; She managed to drag herself three steps forward. But when Envy ordered Gluttony to eat Ling, she stopped for a moment.

"So... they really aren't allowed to hurt us..." he smirked. He put his hands together and made a wall separating Ling and Gluttony. "Scarlett, Ling! You take care of this one, we got Gluttony!"

The second Al released Scarlett, she was out of there. She was just a blur as her tattoos were activated and she zipped up to Envy.

**SCARLETT**

"You're dead! You hear, dead!" she yelled, cleanly slicing into his midriff.

"Hey, don't hog all the fun and glory!" Ling laughed, cutting into Envy's back as the Homunculus backed away from her.

"Gladly... When he's taking his last breath, you get to cut off his head. But other than that, he's mine! Mine!" she roared.

_Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill!_

_Count on it!_

"You're dead, bastard! You can't run away, and you can't hide! There's no one you can impersonate to sway me! You're defenseless against me!"

Envy fell to his knees, and Ling pointed his sword at the downed thing. "Are you ready to give up and come quietly?" the prince asked.

"Give up? I'm just getting started you miser-"

His speech was cut off as she dug an arm-blade into his neck. "Shut up, beast." she growled. "If you don't come quietly..."

Envy howled in pain as she slowly pulled the blade out, slightly sawing back and forth. "If you don't come quietly, I get to cut you up until you stop regrowing missing parts."

At that moment, Ed and Al crashed through the wall Ed had put up. Ling turned to finish things with Envy, but the cheater...

_Strike!_

She cut into 'Lan Fan's' neck as the monster yelled to Gluttony.

"Ling!" they all yelled.

She and Ed both grabbed the prince. Ripping him away from Ed, she almost managed to throw the prince out of harm's way...

But then it was all dark, and she was spiraling through darkness...

**EDWARD**

Groaning, he sat up, putting a hand to his face. "Wha-?" he started, jerking it away. "Blood?"

"Hey... Where am I?" he realized, standing shakily on his feet.

_A red sea..._

_A sea of blood!_

"Hey! Where am I? Al? Ling! Scarlett! Where the hell am I?" he yelled.

**ALPHONSE**

He tackled the Homunculus. "What, no... You! Spit them out! Spit them out, now!" he cried.

"I can't... I swallowed them..." Gluttony said sadly.

"No... No, that can't be... Brother!"

**SCARLETT**

She managed to land... semi-perfectly. Landing on her knees, then almost doing a face-plant in the sea of blood wasn't what she'd call perfect.

Sighing, she stood up and looked around. "So, this is what the inside of Gluttony's belly is like? Very spacious. No wonder he's always hungry."

_Ed and Ling..._

"Yeah, I'd better find the dolts before they wind up beating each other senseless."

Hearing yells, she turned and started walking.

"Stupid! Of all the things to call an emperor!"

That was Ling.

"Ling you're okay...! Wait, how do I know you're not Envy in disguise?"

That was Ed.

"Oh, for crying out- Do you want me to recite the room-service bill from top to bottom?"

"Alright. You're Ling."

"And what about you, how do I know you're not Envy, you little runt?"

"Who're you calling a runt you jerk!"

"Alright. It's you. But what about Scarlett? I know she was with us."

"You're both idiots! You for not striking Envy, and you for jumping in the way and delaying me saving the prince here! It coulda been just me swallowed, ninnies!" she yelled.

"Great, how do we know you're not Envy?" Ling asked.

"One knuckle-sandwich in the kitchen and coming up, sir." she said politely.

"Yeah, that's her. Only she says that." Ed sighed.

"But seriously, I'm gonna clock the both of you the second we get outta here... If we get outta here. As far as I can see, this place is... Infinite."

"Wait, what's that?"

Ed rushed over onto a piece of broken roof, picking something up. "Al's hand? What's that doing here?" she asked.

"He must not have gotten swallowed... Poor guy, he must be worried sick... If only there was some way to contact him..." Ed looked thoughtfully at the metal gauntlet.

Next thing she and Ling knew, Ed had put the glove on his head and was swaying around screaming about telepathy. "You enjoy yourself." the two said, turning and walking the other way.

**ALPHONSE**

He sat, dejectedly, in the middle of the field. The tiny panda looked up at him. Noticing Gluttony, she scurried around to the other side.

Gluttony took a few steps towards him. "What... What should I do?" he asked sadly.

"I don't know." he answered dully.

"What should I do? I don't want Father to be mad at me."

_Wait... What?_

"You... have a father?"

"Mm-hmm."

He reached out and felt Gluttony's stomach where the gaping hole had been.

_"Think! Brother may still be alive! Come on, think, think! We made a promise!"_

"Gluttony! Will you take me? Will you take me to see your father?" he asked, standing up.

"Mm... I guess so!"

"Huh?"

"He'll be happy to see you, considering you're a human sacrifice!"

"Oh, yeah, that's why he'll be glad to see me!"

_"And I guess I'll finally get to find out what that means..."_

**SCARLETT**

"I told you, there's no real way out!" she said furiously as Ed trans-muted a pipe out of the blood.

"Okay, now drop the torch." he said, ignoring her.

"Oh, I see." Ling said, dropping one of the two torches he held.

Sighing, she rolled her eyes.

"We should have heard it hit the bottom by now, right?" Ed said almost sadly.

The two started running in a random direction, and she sprinted to keep up with them. "I told you there's no way out!" she yelled. But again, they ignored her.

"A wall! There has to be a wall!" Ling cried desperately.

"That's right! No matter what direction we go in, there has to be a wall! There has to be!" Ed wailed.

"Idiots!" she screamed at the top of her lungs.


	13. Chapter 13

**SCARLETT**

"You two really are wusses. I haven't eaten for longer than either of you two, and you're wobbling around like you're gonna die." she said, strolling ahead, then coming back about every ten feet.

_Ha. Don't tell them..._

_She ate almost right before Gluttony swallowed them and had a small amount of solid staples..._

"We can't help it... You're used to it..." whined Ed.

At that moment, Ling collapsed.

"Wuss. Look, Ed, food. I'm not gonna whine about cannibalism now that I've shed everything else." she said blandly, pointing to Ling.

"What? What are you talking about? We're just fine, see?" the two chorused, picking up the pace and whistling a merry tune.

"Got you to shut up about how hungry you are." she smiled, secretly slipping a bread-crust in her mouth.

But, a short while later, the both of them collapsed. They crawled onto a large circular stone pedestal, almost, and complained about how hungry they were.

"Man, you guys are wusses."

She stood between them and pulled out an apple.

"If that what I think that is?" "Oh, please, let us have it!"

"Yeah, definitely wusses." she said, holding it out as they begged and pleaded for it. "One for you and you, because I'm feeling generous."

"Oh, thank you thank you thank you!" they both cried, tears streaming down their faces.

"Yeah, whatever. If you want more, you have to earn it. If you're gonna act like spoiled pooches, that's how I'm gonna treat you. You can go a while without food." she waved their grateful cries off and pulled out an apple of her own.

Biting into the golden fruit, she sat down. "So, dim-wits, do you have a plan, or are we sitting around until you think of one?" she asked.

"Well, we'll find a way. Even if it takes us a while, we'll find a way." Ed smiled.

"You seem more cheerful and strangely optimistic." Ling commented.

"So do you, now that you have food." she told him.

"Well, not really. I'm just stubborn like that, and I've got Al's iron fist to look forward to if I even think of giving up!" the cheeky blonde grinned.

"You got my titanium fist to look forward to if you don't behave properly or stop yakking and start thinking!" she told him.

"That too..." his smile faltered a bit.

_Danger!_

Both she and Ling jumped up. "What's wrong?" Ed asked.

"Something's out there." Ling murmured.

"Envy..." she growled, gritting her teeth.

"Oh, great, I shoulda known it was you guys." the Homunculus growled, sloshing into view.

"Ask me why I'm not cutting him to ribbons as we speak?" she hissed to Ling.

"Please show us the way out!"

"What! You're just going to beg the enemy for help?" she and Ling both yelled at Edward.

"If it means surviving, I'll be his best friend!" Ed yelled back.

"It doesn't matter because there is no way out!" Envy said loudly.

"What...?" the boys gasped.

"Told ya so."

"I can't believe you got me swallowed with you!" Envy groaned.

"You just said swallowed... Does that mean we're really in Gluttony's belly?" Ling asked.

"Well, yes and no. Just ask the pi- I mean the Alchemist! He knows where we are." Envy said.

"Well, I did feel a sense of familiarity when we were pulled in..." Ed said slowly.

"So? You do know. I mean, this isn't the first time you've been here."

"You mean...?" Ed stumbled back.

"What?"

"So this is the Portal of Truth? But... It wasn't dark and filled with a sea of blood... It was more like this white void..." Ed stammered, fear in his voice.

"So that's what the real one looks like." Envy said casually.

"Real one?" they all asked.

"Gluttony is a failed experiment by our father to create his own portal. So we're half-way between our reality and Truth. There's no way out, so all we can do is sit and wait for our strength to run out." the Homunculus said, sweat dripping down his face.

"Told you so. This place is infinite." she said grimly.

"No... I can't die here! What's Al gonna do without me? We made a promise..." Ed was on the verge of tears.

"So this is really it?" Ling was stunned.

Sighing, she looked at Envy. "So just who is your so-called father, anyways?"

**EDWARD**

He and Ling both looked up. "Are you gonna answer?" she asked.

"A failed portal... Homunculi... It's Fuhrer Bradley, isn't it?" he snarled.

"What? You gotta be kidding, Bradley's just a Homunculus!" Envy almost snorted.

"We told you so!" Ling and Scarlett both said triumphantly.

"So then... it was you guys behind Ishval?" he yelled. Scarlett's eyes widened then narrowed, and, growling, she turned to Envy.

"Oh, Ishval? Do you know how that started?"

"I... I was always told that a soldier accidentally shot an Ishvalan child." he admitted.

"And the one that proudly pulled the trigger was yours truly! I couldn't have asked for a better job! I ravaged their entire country with a single bull-"

"I do so wish you'd quit bragging."

Scarlett was turning her back coolly on Envy as he clutched at his bleeding throat. "Scarlett, you're acting rashly!" he warned.

"And if that's how you wanna play it... I'm gonna show you brats something really amazing before we die!" Envy roared.

"Scarlett! Get away!"

"I know. The sorry bastard's larger than he's ever let on." she nodded.

"Ling, Scarlett, what are you talking about?" he asked nervously.

"In the forest, his foot-steps were rather deep. That hints... That he may be a bit big..." Ling said, gazing up.

"Yeah. Real big." Scarlett nodded, letting all of the blades she had out.

**SCAR**

May had been devastated at the loss of her panda. He'd eventually agreed to help her find her lost pet.

"Mister Scar?"

He looked down at her.

"Master Yoki told me about Ishval."

He continued silently.

_Yuuki... Why did she cry like that?_

_She used his image to get through everything that happened to her, and now they were on opposite sides.  
_

_The girl must be heart-broken.._


	14. Chapter 14

**SCARLETT**

"How is that a Homunculus? They're supposed to be artificial humans!" Ling yelled.

"That doesn't mean they were always human!" she yelled back.

_Envy's mid-section was covered in human souls! _

"Oof!"

She ducked as Ed went sailing. Then went Ling, three seconds behind him. She spun around. Envy's tail was whipping towards her!

_Catch it!_

She put her hands out, and the tail smashed into her. "Gah!... I'm not... so easy... to break..." she grunted, gritting her teeth and twisting her feet to hold her ground better.

Using her distraction to his advantage, Envy twisted around and threw her the opposite direction. She landed face-down in the red sea.

Pulling herself up, she saw that Ed had come face-to-face with one of the souls on Envy's side. He was frozen, and Envy's tail was coming down.

"Oi! Ed! Move!" she yelled. She heaved a sigh of relief as Ling saved the young Alchemist.

_But there was still work to be done..._

Like a racer, almost, she crouched down and took off running, all of the blades she had melting down her body and onto her arms. She held them together, and the liquid titanium became one large blade, long, simple, sharp, and deadly. She raced past Envy's right flank.

"Hah! Is that all you got, hu- Aah!"

Envy's three right legs dissolved into dust, and he toppled. The blades ran back up to their original places. "Hah. Take that, freak!" she yelled, pointing triumphantly.

They began running around him in circles, nipping in and out. She saw Ed stop and stare, sadly and confused, into the writhing mass of souls on Envy's chest. "Look out!" she screamed.

"I'm tired of playing around!" Envy hissed, swatting Edward onto the stone they'd just rested on. A small red jet spurted out of his mouth.

"Ed! Get up, you pathetic shorty!" "Ed! Ed, wake up!"

She and Ling both yelled frantically as Envy's tongue picked Edward up. Then his mouth closed...

And Edward was gone...

**LING**

"Bastard!"

Envy had just swallowed Edward. Scarlett ran at the gargantuan monster, her arm-blades becoming larger and more lethal-looking. She darted around and around the Homunculus, tears streaming down her face. The one thing he could think of...

_Wow, Scarlett is certainly and emotional woman._

He was still crouched down, trying to regain his breath and stop his nose from bleeding. Scarlett had a few small bruises, but she was working like a mad-woman to cut Envy up!

There was a loud crack...

And Edward's foot was sticking out of Envy's mouth.

"Hey! Lemme outta here, Envy! Your breath's killing me! I gotta figure a way to get us outta here!"

"What?" they all gasped.

**SCAR**

May was showing a picture of the panda to people. One man had just said he'd seen a man in armor with a cat just like the picture.

_Yuuki... Where did she go?_

May gasped, spotting something in an alley. He followed her gaze.

The young Elric brother was standing behind the fat Homunculus. On his shoulder was the panda.

"Shou May!" May tried to run to them, but he stopped her. "What's wrong?"

"The fat one. He and the Elric brothers are enemies. So why is he with him...?"

"What about him?"

"He's a Homunculus. They have regenerative abilities, making them almost immortal."

"All the more reason to go after him! Let's go!"

Before he could stop her, May ran after them.

**ALPHONSE**

"What's wrong? Are you cold?" he asked the shivering little panda. She clung to his finger.

_Maybe she's like Scarlett and can sense bad things? That would explain a few things._

Something next to his foot rattled. He looked down and squealed.

The floor was littered with bones!

"G-Gluttony? What's all that about?"

"Hmm? Oh, the Gate-Keepers did that. But they won't rip you up 'cause you're with me!"

"Gate-Keepers...?" he asked, looking up. "Eep!"

Hundreds of evil-looking animal eyes glared down at them.

"Ju-just pretend they aren't there..." he whispered to the panda.

**SCARLETT**

Edward had drawn a trans-mutation circle using blood. Now he was going to open up the Gate.

A bright white light filled the air. She and Ling stepped into the circle, and she suddenly felt like she did the first time she'd come into contact with Alchemy.

_She was falling through a void..._

_There was no end to it..._

_No bottom, no ground..._

And then...

It was all dark...

There was ground beneath her...

She opened her eyes a crack. She was on one side of Ed, leaning up against Envy. She could see Ling on the other side of Ed.

"Brother!"

Al was right up against Ed. "Al? You're back in your armor... That means..."

"We're back in the real world." Ling said triumphantly.

She got up as Ed was taken into a death-hug by Al. She peered around.

_These tubes contain... a Philosopher's Stone? Damn, this place isn't good, I'll say that..._

While she wasn't paying attention, someone emerged. Now she whipped around.

_Hohenheim? Ed's dad?_

_No... This isn't him..._

She'd met Hohenheim in Resembool after she and Ed had visited Xerxes. He'd seemed like a nice man. But this... It shared some connection with him, but it wasn't him.

He healed Ed and reconstructed Al's missing hand, but didn't even glance at her or Ling. She decided he wasn't someone you were supposed to like.

_'Heart' says protect Ed and Al..._

She moved between the man and the brothers. Her face was stony, almost like his. "I don't know who the hell you are, but you aren't good. I can tell that much." she said.

"Scarlett? What can you tell us about him?" Ling gasped from the side.

"Hmm..."

She peered at the man, lowering her face slightly.

_What the hell!_

"What the hell!"

"What?" demanded Ed.

"He's not your old man, but he's got a blood-relationship and he... He's a Philosopher's Stone!"


	15. Chapter 15

**SCARLETT**

The fighting started almost immediately.

They were trying to hit this 'Father' character. But he managed to counter their every move with Alchemy.

_There! An opening!_

He was so focused on Ed and Al that no one would see her...

There was a loud clang as her arm-blades met his neck.

"What the... hell?" she gasped.

_He didn't even flinch! There was no sign she ever tried to cut his head off!_

"This is a waste of time." the man sighed.

She received a strong shock, throwing her away from him, and suddenly the ground started to shake.

After the shaking stopped, Ed and Al tried to perform more Alchemy. But there was nothing.

_Pretend to be out!_

Her eyes were closed to the point where she only had a slit open, and she laid stock-still, breathing slowly.

Ed and Al were pinned by Envy, Ling was pinned by Gluttony.

"No! Don't interfere! I came to this country looking for a Philosopher's Stone, and now this man wants to give me one!" Ling snarled at Ed and Al.

"Well, this is interesting..." Father said softly before dropping whatever he held in his cupped hand onto a scratch on Ling's cheek.

What happened next shocked her into opening her eyes.

Ling writhed and yelled, screaming in pain, his body contorting. When it finally stopped, he wasn't Ling.

_Dublith. That's where this guy was familiar from._

"You." she said, siting up. "But you're not..."

"What's that?" the thing inhabiting Ling's body asked.

"Oh... So that's it. You took the spirit of the old Greed and 'purified' it, erasing all of his memories in hopes that he'd behave better." she sighed.

"You're a very smart lady. How do you know these things?"

"Her eyes are special. With them, she can see things an ordinary human can't." Envy told his master.

"That's right. Being the only titanium human has unusual side-effects. Including that now, I have graphs, diagrams and other things I can activate at will when I'm fighting." she said icily.

"Titanium human?"

"That's right... She's a Chimera... mixed with titanium, the strongest substance known to man..." Ed grunted.

Her tattoos glowed. She was miffed, and it was showing. With loud, wet rips, every blade she had, only larger and meaner, poked out of her skin.

"What... How is her Alchemy still working?" Envy shouted.

"It must be unique, developed should something like this happen. I remember now. Envy once took on an assignment in the guise of a soldier..."

"Yeah, and I'm gonna kick his ass for it. He hit me pretty well, and I went through Hell and back again because of it!"

**EDWARD**

The door opened. They all turned to look.

A growling Chimera stood there. But in seconds, it exploded in a shower of gore.

_Scar! And..._

_That girl!_

"You again!" Scarlett sighed, rolling her eyes. "You're popping up frequently."

"I could say the same." Scar replied.

"Scarlett, shut up. Help us?" he asked.

"I don't need to... They're going to..." she said quietly.

The panda Al had picked up bounded over to the girl. Scar and the girl held a very short conversation, and then...

"How dare you! You'll pay for breaking a maiden's heart!" the girl screamed, again performing the strange long-distance Alchemy.

"Told ya so!" Scarlett yelled.

"About time!" he grinned from behind the refuge he and Al had taken from the fight. He clapped his hands together and attempted to do his Alchemy.

_What the hell!_

"What... Why is their Alchemy working but not ours?" Al asked.

"I dunno, but we're not completely helpless..." he grinned.

He ran out towards Scar. "Hey! Scar! You know who started the Ishvalan Civil War?" he yelled.

He had Scar's attention now.

"It was Envy! In the guise of a soldier, he shot and killed an Ishvalan child!"

"Hey! Shut it!" Envy snarled.

Scar was upset now. Scarlett, at the reminder, had also flipped her lid.

He and Al scurried away from where they'd been standing.

_Total destruction!_

That's what he thought as he looked at what the two Ishvalans were doing.

_Wait! Look at Scarlett!_

Her eyes were literally glowing. Her tattoos had not dimmed, even though her blades were all out. It seemed with every blow she struck, they glowed stronger and the blades grew larger and larger...

_What the hell!_

She didn't look human anymore. No. Now, she looked almost like a monster. Titanium fangs jutted over her lips, long silver claws followed the shape of her fingers, and the blades, he saw, were serrated.

_Was this what she was created for? Is this the reason Scarlett was made?_

They were in danger themselves. The destruction wasn't confined to the region of the fight.

No.

It was spreading, coming close to them...


	16. Chapter 16

**SCARLETT**

Sighing, she put her hands up.

They'd lost the fight.

Scar and May had both vanished. She, Ed and Al had all lost their own battles.

"So, what should we do about this one?" Envy growled.

"I guess she can live, on the condition that she protects these two from danger." Father nodded.

_So she's become a body-guard for a couple of children?_

_Seriously__?_

Envy shifted back into his human shape and led them through several dark hallways. They stopped outside an elevator.

"Where are we going?" she asked suspiciously.

"Just get in." Envy said.

"Where are we going?" Ed asked.

"Just get in!" Envy snapped.

In the elevator, Envy took the guise of a soldier. Her eyes narrowed. He'd only take a soldier's form if...

_If this elevator led to a military head-quarters!_

She gasped, clapping her hands to her eyes. "Shit!" she swore, snatching her glasses out of her pocket and jamming them on.

"Scarlett? What's wrong?" asked Ed.

"You'll see..." she hissed.

They finally reached the surface, and Ed and Al were stunned. She was too. They were in Central Command!

"I told you you'd see..." she murmured, pushing her glasses up to secure them.

"Hey!"

They all turned to look at Envy.

"You're all covered in filth."

"Sorry for having just gotten out of a fight with a bastard." she commented, rolling her eyes.

They were led to the showers. She was all alone in the women's showers, lucky for her.

"Damnit... How much of the military is in on whatever they're doing?" she sighed as she dried off. "Bradley's a Homunculus... There's a Philosopher's Stone controlling him... Wait a minute..."

"No..."

_That's no possible!_

_How could that be?  
_

_How... Why... What... No!...  
_

_That adds up, but not in an agreeable way!_

She quickly got dressed and went back into the hallway, putting her hair up in a pony-tail. "You're up to no good. I can tell... If my calculations are correct..." she growled at Envy.

"Oh, really?" he smirked.

"Yeah... Severing one's sins from their body, and turning this country into what it is... And in the spring, that eclipse due to happen..." she growled.

"Hush, now. You'll spoil the surprise!" Envy laughed. "Now, what the hell is taking them so long!"

Envy slammed the boys shower-room open. "What's the hold-up in here?"

There was a moment of silence, and slightly around Envy, she saw that Ed wasn't wearing anything but a towel around his neck. Then Ed and Envy both screamed. She had by then turned away so she couldn't see anything.

**EDWARD**

Envy showed them to the Fuhrer's office, where Mustang was sitting across from Bradley.

"Mustang? What the hell is going on?" he asked.

"I don't know. I was just about to ask you the same thing, Fullmetal." the colonel replied.

"Great... No one in the world knows what's going on." Scarlett sighed, rolling her eyes.

"Please, have a seat." the Fuhrer gestured.

He and Al sat down on the other two chairs at the table, and Scarlett promptly sat down cross-legged where she stood. There was silence for a while afterwards. Then there was a small cough. Al made coughing noises to cover it up directly after.

"Bradley... What sin are you?" Scarlett said.

"You're a smart girl, figuring out that the Homunculi are the seven sins. I'm known as Wrath." Bradley answered.

"So, Pride and Sloth are the two we've never encountered. Lust is dead. Gluttony is being reconstructed as we speak. Envy's probably gone off who-knows-where, and Greed last checked is down with Father." she sighed.

"Please, won't you pull up a chair?" Bradley asked kindly.

His question was greeted with stony silence.

_Way t' go, Scarlett!_

He decided to ask a question. "So, just how much of the military is in on your little gig?" he asked.

"The senior staff is aware."

"Yeah... On the search for immortality, correct? Most are older men, no? Understandable, considering what you're up to..."

Scarlett's voice was low and threatening, and her tattoos flickered and eyes shimmered. "I mean, what more does a dying man want than the ability to not die? Riddle me that, bad-man."

"You're smart, but don't spoil the surprise." Bradley told her.

"I'm leaving!"

Scarlett jumped up and stormed out. She paused right before leaving. "Don't badger me about it not being polite to leave before I'm dismissed. I don't take orders from anyone but Heart!" she growled.

"She's quite the strong one, isn't she?"

"Yeah. In more ways than one. She's flicked me in the nose, but it feels like I've been punched. And whoever she does punch normally ends up with both a bloody nose and a black eye." he sighed.

"Well, is that all?"

"Um... Sir, will you allow us to keep searching for a way to get our bodies back?" Al asked nervously.

"I see no reason not to. As long as you don't slip to anyone what's going on."

"Now, sir, one more question?" Mustang asked.

"Go on."

"Did you kill Maes Hughes?"

He and Al both gasped.

"No, I did not."

"Do you know who did?"

"I believe I agreed to one question. Oh, before you go, Alphonse..."

They all paused and turned to look at the Fuhrer. Before they could register, his sword had slid in through one of the chinks in Al's armor. He and Al gasped, thinking of the little girl...

_There isn't any blood..._

"I-is that all, sir?" he asked nervously.

"Yes, you may go now."

Just outside sat Scarlett. She watched, almost amused, as they fussed over how the girl had escaped.


	17. Chapter 17

**SCARLETT**

Ed and Al were in the library. She had decided to wait outside for them.

_May was accompanying Scar... She's vanished, meaning she probably left to reunite with him... Tracking her would prove easy..._

Sighing, she put her head in her hands. "Damnit, why can't I stop thinking about him?" she groaned.

_"Why? Do you love me?"_

He had said that to her, once upon a time. A long tome ago. They were younger then, and didn't have accurate views on the world.

_Protecting the Elrics is priority Alpha. Scar can be priority Beta._

_But that doesn't work out!_

She groaned, flopping back on the stairs. "What's taking them so long? It shouldn't take almost a whole freaking hour to find a few measly books!" she complained.

"Scarlett?..."

"About time! I was starting to think you two had gotten kidnapped or something!" she snapped, sitting up and turning around. "Uh, who's this?"

"Selim, this is Scarlett, our body-guard. Scarlett, this is Selim Bradley..." Ed said nervously.

"Oh my... I really wanna hit you now." she sighed, running a hand through her silver hair.

"If you're their body-guard, why do you want to hit them? That seems a little backwards, don't you think?" the young boy asked.

"Nah, I hit them all the time when I get annoyed. After all, you need to discipline kids that misbehave." she sighed, standing up.

_That boy isn't a boy... He's not what he appears, much older and stronger... But his shadow... What are these results?_

The bars, graphs and other data in her eyes was all pointing to his shadow, screaming at her that it was important...

_No... He... Is the shadow, that human body is just a vessel to hold all of it in!_

_Selim Bradley is a Homunculus!_

She hid her shock and fear, following the Elric brothers and the little boy. She couldn't tell them. They'd freak!

She couldn't tell anyone!

_Damnit! Helpless once more!_

**SCAR**

May and Marcoh were traveling directly North. He and Yoki were taking a more Western route to throw the military off the scent.

_But he couldn't get his mind off Yuuki!_

She hadn't seemed human during that fight. Her eyes had been animal, her face livid with anger, and her body ripped apart with long silver weapons protruding from inside.

_Yuuki..._

_"Why? Do you love me?"_

_"I don't know! Do I love you?"_

_She answered with a smile on her face, and used his image to pull through all the years of torture she'd gone through. What else could it add up to?_

He almost sighed. Why couldn't he stop thinking about her? She was the enemy now, and he shouldn't think about her.

**SCARLETT**

"Scarlett?"

She looked away from the window. "What now?"

"What are you thinking about?" Al asked.

She turned back to the window, not answering. Al sighed, looking down. "Scar." she finally answered.

"What? Why're you thinking about him?" Ed almost wailed.

She was silent, looking out the window at the land-scape rolling past. "I don't know. You tell me."

"I can't answer something like that! I do't know what goes on in your head, I'm not a mind-reader!" Ed yelled. He recoiled away from her as she rapped her knuckles on his skull. "And would you please stop that? It hurts!"

"I know. That's why I do it." she answered.

_"I don't know! Do I love you?"_

That seemed a million years ago, but it felt like yesterday...

"Edward, Alphonse..."

"Hmm?" "What do you want?"

"Why do you want your old bodies back?"

They were silent, stunned by her question. "Care to elaborate on that?" Ed asked.

"No..." She sat up, facing them. "Look at all the things that have saved you because of your bodies now. Ed, you could be a thousand times dead right now if it weren't for your auto-mail. Al, if you live long enough, you can share things with ten generations from now that could greatly benefit them. There are reasons to not get your bodies back as well as to get them back..."

"She's right, Brother..." Al said softly.

"Yeah... Why didn't we look at it that way?"

They seemed a little confused about what to do now. Then Ed stood up. "Scarlett, why do you do stuff like that? Why do you always try to see both sides?" he sighed.

"I am both sides. I try to be what I am. Two forces in one, Alchemy and Ishvalan, organic and inorganic, human and metal. It only makes sense that I try to see both sides of every argument. Doesn't it?" she pointed out.

"Damnit, that's true too..."

"So, why do you want your bodies back?"

"I want to feel again. I want to be able to eat, sleep, and actually do things that I can't do in this body." Al answered.

"I can't answer that question. I don't see anything that's truly wrong about my auto-mail, but I do want my real limbs back." Ed said softly.

"See? There are two sides of every coin. Destruction and construction, right and wrong, good and bad. You know, the evil ones aren't normally evil? They're just different. Is what they do really wrong, impure or bad? For some, the answer is definitely yes, but to others, give it a little thought." she said, turning back to the window.


	18. Chapter 18

**EDWARD**

Scarlett was more than met the eye. He had to give her that.

_"It's true. She's both sides of one coin._

_"But she's never acted so deeply before. I wonder if maybe having to fight Scar is taking it's toll on her? It could be. She seems to love him..."_

Sighing, he settled himself into a more comfortable position and fell asleep.

**SCARLETT**

"Look, it's snow!" Ed cried excitedly.

She followed the brothers more cautiously. She'd never seen snow before, having come from a desert people. It was new to her. "Wow, it's bright..." she murmured, pushing her glasses farther up.

"The sunlight reflects off the snow, making it seem very bright. This is your first time ever seeing snow isn't it?" Al asked, helping Edward up from where he'd slipped on some ice.

"Yeah... I'm not sure what to make of it..." she admitted.

"Aw, quit the chatter and let's go!" Ed yelled ecstatically.

"Why the hell are you acting like a five-year-old?" she asked, hugging herself as she moved slowly down the stairs.

"We got snow, true, but never this much!"

"Jeez, you're more active now than I've ever seen you. Al, I think we need to cut back on his sugar-intake."

"Scarlett, why are you hugging yourself? I thought you had a high resistance to extremes?" Al asked.

"Yeah, but didn't you see the sky this morning?" she asked grimly.

"No, why?"

"It was red. 'Red sky at night, shepherd's delight, red sky at morning, shepherd's warning.' It means if a shepherd sees a red sky in the morning, he needs to move his sheep indoors or to where the storm can't get them. At night, there won't be a storm for a while, it's safe to have the sheep out." she explained.

"Oh..."

But Al seemed to quickly forget her warning.

They were quickly on their way to Fort Briggs. She was scanning the sky the whole time, observing the clouds gathering, the wind building up and the dark angry sky beyond the furious clouds.

"Hey, miss! Don't you think you should be wearing more than that skinny little sweat-shirt?" the wagon-driver asked.

"No. This is all I need." she answered simply, hopping off the cart. "I know it'll get extreme, but I can survive."

"Suit yourself. Hya!" The man drove away.

"From this point on, we're in military territory. Don't stray from the path. That could result in some violence." she warned, walking confidently forward. The brothers had to jog a little to keep up with her at first.

Soon enough, the storm she'd predicted arrived.

"D-d-damnit... I knew the weather at B-Briggs was e-extreme, b-but th-this is insane!" Ed chattered, holding his hood close to his face, trying to preserve the warmth.

"Baby. You're always bragging about how Izumi made it for one month up here, even killing a bear. But you're whining like a toddler with a chill." she told him.

"F-fi-fine! Say that a-all you w-want, I-I'm st-still fr-freezing!" Ed snapped.

"C'mere."

"Huh?"

The brothers were both shocked at her move. She'd wrapped her arms around Edward. "That should warm you up a bit, you big baby." she told him, sighing.

_Freaking embarrassing... Hope no soldiers come along and see this..._

They stood there for about a minute before moving on again.

"Brother, did Teacher really kill a bear?" Al asked, breaking the silence.

"Yeah." came the simple answer.

Suddenly she got a warning...

_Danger!_

"Incoming!" she yelled, running to the side as something large landed inches from where she'd been standing.

"Ahh! A bear!" the brothers yelled.

"Wrong on that count!" she yelled, whipping off her glasses. Her tattoos flared, and her blades came out. the tattoos on those flared, and they melted into the silver liquid titanium, which encased her arms and hardened.

_The man was large, and had a strong auto-mail arm. Stronger than Edward's. He wore a military uniform._

"So, a Briggs's soldier. Great. And finally, a bit of action!" she said under her breath.

Al was pinned, and Edward was in trouble. She took a running leap, and bent her arm just right...

The man dropped Edward as her elbow smashed into the back of his head. "What the hell was that?" he snarled, whipping around.

His large auto-mail arm crashed into the side of her head. An ordinary human would be missing theirs after a blow like that, but she wasn't ordinary!

"Nice try... But that's just gonna leave a bruise..." she informed him, pushing her glasses back on before he could see her eye color.

Now every blade she had ripped out of her skin. The blood from the rips stained the snow bright red. She saw the shock in the man's eyes. "So, are we still going?" she grinned, showing the titanium fangs she'd recently learned how to create.

"Heh..."

Now the shock was in her eyes. Out of the corner of her eye she saw what he was grinning about. Gun-men.

_She couldn't engage! The ricochette would hit Edward!_

Sighing, she retracted all of her blades, the rips in her skin healing up like always. She put her hands up.

Edward and Alphonse gasped at something behind her. She twisted her head slightly to see the fort.

_It's not that big... Why are they so awed?_

There was a woman up there. She must've been the major's sister, because she certainly looked like him. But that man next to her...

Her eyes narrowed. "No fuckin' way..." she murmured.

_That man was Ishvalan!_

They were searched... Well, they tried to search her, but there wasn't much to her. Jeans, sweat-shirt, t-shirt beneath, and boots. They were confused at how lightly she was dressed.

**EDWARD**

He was amazed at how advanced the North had made their auto-mail. Sighing, he looked over at Scarlett, huddled in the corner. "Scarlett, why are you doing that?" he asked.

"Mm?"

"You'd normally be hanging over my shoulder. But you're just sitting in the corner."

"Mm." she shrugged. Then, without warning, she punched the wall.

"What's wrong with your friend?"

"Nothing's wrong with me!" Scarlett snapped.

"You should calm down, girlie. And Doc, do you plan on telling this kid all our secrets?"

Buccaneer had come into the room.

"He deserves to know. After all, he's got the silver pocket-watch."

**SCARLETT**

Silently, she watched them talk about Ed and Al. Finally, conversation turned to her.

"Don't talk about me." she said icily.

"Who do you think you are to give us orders?"

"I think I'm Scarlett, once Yuuki of the Ishvalans. But I'm now Scarlett, Lab Five Experiment Titanium." she answered, letting her glasses slip down as she laid down on the floor.

There was silence.

"Scarlett, why do you try to keep your race a secret, but you wind up telling everyone?" Alphonse asked.

"You do it too." she told him quietly, closing her eyes.

_Scar..._

Her eyes shot back open. She was trembling. But she didn't know why...

"Scarlett? What's wrong?" Ed asked, looking worried.

"I don't know..." she admitted, sitting up, hands on her head. "But my head feels..."

She gasped, and she herself could tell her eyes were glowing blue.

_He was close! Very close! As were May and... Marcoh?_

Those were her last thoughts before passing out.


	19. Chapter 19

**SCARLETT**

_Scar..._

_He was in trouble... Fighting someone...  
_

_They were on a train...  
_

_There were many loud explosions and repulsions...  
_

_It terrified her.  
_

**EDWARD**

He and Al were in the middle of a discussion with General Armstrong when a scream rent the air.

"That came from the infirmary!" "That was Scarlett!"

They quickly moved to the infirmary. Scarlett was sitting up, panting, in one of the beds. Her hands were on the sides of her head. She looked scared.

"Scarlett, are you okay?" he asked, moving in so he was right next to her.

"I... I thought I was back at... I was ready to check for scars..." she said quietly.

"It's okay. Nothing like that is ever gonna happen to you ever again, alright? I won't let that happen." he said strongly, putting his hand on hers.

"What's going on?" the general asked.

"Scarlett was once a test subject at a military-supported lab in Central. Almost every morning she woke up, there'd be a new scar on her body. That's how she got those tattoos, and the blades that are contained inside her body. From being Alchemically mixed with a rare metal called titanium. She's now super-human." Al explained.

"I see."

"I'm the only Ishvalan that went in that lab and came back out alive. All the others were killed. Sometimes, in the night, I'd be listening to their screams. After I was combined with the titanium, sometimes I would watch them... I was only a little girl when it all started, so I've learned to be strong... But even then, some things demand a toll."

"You're a strong young woman." Buccaneer commented.

"So everyone says. I let them think that, but it isn't true. I wind up crying almost everyday. I'm about as weak as they come, hiding my emotions with a blank mask."

"Scarlett." he said, looking fiercely into her eyes. "Stop saying bad things about yourself. I won't let you say that stuff. I've got more bruises than I care to count from you calling me a wuss or a baby!"

"Those are accurate comments."

He didn't dare try to contradict the general. She was a very scary woman!

**SCARLETT**

They were put to work quickly enough.

Whacking icicles.

She didn't need the blade they'd provided. She formed a long curved blade on her arm and used that to hit the spears of ice down. "Quit whining, Ed. You're not that small." she told him as he complained about not being able to reach. Before he could start up a short-rant, she rapped his skull with her knuckles.

"Ow! Would you knock that off? My whole head is gonna be one big lump if you don't stop!" he yelled.

"You already are a lunk-head." she told him bluntly.

"Huh? Fullmetal?"

They turned around. As promised, one of Major Miles's men had come to pick them up. And they knew him!

"Warrant officer Falman!" they all cried.

There was a little chit-chat, and then they were shown around. It was warmer on the lower levels, like development and where the generators were kept.

One man was called over to investigate noise in one of the pipes.

_She heard it too... That's no pipe..._

"That's not the pipe..." she muttered, crouching down.

_There! Again!_

Now she laid down on the floor, pressing her ear to the ground. "There's something down there... Something's coming up!" she hissed, jumping up.

Now the noise was loud enough for all of them to hear. She growled, sliding her glasses down.

_The whole floor is shaking... It may be hard to pin-point where this thing is coming up... No..._

_Wait..._

_In the instant the floor stops shaking, don't blink..._

_There!_

Her face set in determination, she turned to glare at the point where the thing would come up. "There. That's where it's coming out." she said harshly, pointing to the spot.

"Can you tell what it is by the vibrations?" Edward asked.

"Not human, that's what." she replied.

At that moment, something burst through the floor. Now she could see it, and quickly identified it.

"Oh, shit... It's a Homunculus!" she hissed.

"What? Why is a Homunculus here?" Ed worried.

_Huge. Slow. Tired. Lazy. Can go at extreme speeds when he puts his mind to it._

"I don't think it's here for you guys... But it's hard to tell... This thing is so slow that I can't make out it's intent or thoughts!" she cried in exasperation.

Ed and Al ran up to it and started babbling about how they were only looking for a way to get their bodies back.

She felt it coming...

_Duck!_

Bullets riddled the floor directly behind Edward. "If you were aiming for the Homunculus, you badly missed!" she yelled, picking herself up and glaring at Buccaneer.

"I saw you talking to that thing! I knew you were Dracman spies!"

_One-track mind..._

She heaved a sigh. "I hate men..." she muttered. "Ed, Al, get away from that thing!" she snapped. "It doesn't know us. But from the slowness, I'm bettin' this is the sin we've never seen... Sloth." she told them as they scurried to her sides.

"Look out!" Ed cried.

She turned to see it moving further into the fort. "Fuck!" she yelled, tattoos flaring. She ran at it.

A neat slice made it stop and turn around. "You don't belong here, and you're not human. That's the extent of my knowledge. I'm betting that you're on some errand for that bearded bastard beneath Central, so that gives reason to attack you." she told it.

"Why... should I... care?... Go dig... a hole..." it said slowly, moving away.

"No!"

She darted in front of it. "Ed! Al!" she yelled.

**EDWARD**

They moved to help Scarlett. The Homunculus was moving further and further into the fort, endangering the lives of the people in it!

Something was thrown... There was a group of people in the way!

"Hey, look out!" he yelled.

Both he and Scarlett both started running. He put up a stone wall in front of some of them, but his Alchemy was being stretched... He couldn't shield them all!

"Gr..."

He gasped.

_Scarlett had used her own body to protect the men! And it had worked!_

"Great job!" he shouted to her.

She didn't reply, instead chasing after the Homunculus as it got onto a lift and went up into development.

"Quick! The stairs!" Scarlett was already chasing up the winding stairs. He and Al quickly followed.

The general had apparently been shelling him with one of the tanks. But it hadn't worked, obviously.

"General! Weapons have no effect on him! Scarlett's probably the only thing able to lay a dent on him right now!" he yelled.

As Scarlett darted off to battle the thing, he was interrogated. Many of the questions he couldn't answer...

Finally, a plan was formed, although he and Al were kept in the dark.

**SCARLETT**

"Scarlett!" Edward yelled.

"Not now! A little busy!" she snapped as she stood in front of the thing.

"Well if you're going to be stubborn, help us get that thing in the elevator!" the general snapped.

"Fine!"

She ran around it so that it was a straight shot from her to the elevator. She braced herself, then threw her whole weight into it. She grunted under the strain.

_It was so damn heavy!_

It started pushing back...

She yelped as something came up behind her. In that second, it gained a little ground. "Don't stand there gawking! Keep pushing!" The general snarled from the tank behind her.

"What do you think I'm doing, sleeping?" she snapped back. But she put more effort into it as the tank behind her and two others also pushed.

When they finally got to the elevator, they encountered some trouble. The Homunculus had managed to gain a secure foot-hold and was really pushing back.

_The only way is..._

"General! I'm letting go here! Don't stop pushing!" she ordered.

Before she could get any sass-back, she pushed off of the tank behind her, launching her at Sloth's head. Her right arm-blade came out...

Sloth's body fell to the ground, actually in the elevator, as his head turned to dust. "There..." she sighed, jumping out of the elevator before it could close. "That did the trick..." she murmured.

"And how did you think of that?"

"He's slow, sure. But even he needs a brain to operate correctly. And anyway, a dead body doesn't give resistance to pushing." she told the general.

**EDWARD**

"C'mon, Scarlett!" he whined.

After getting rid of Sloth, they'd been locked up. Scarlett was already known to be their body-guard, and her special Alchemy was also known of. But she'd consented to them being locked up. She was sitting outside their cell, ignoring his pleas that she bust them out.

"Oh, give it a rest, kid! I'm not getting you out!" Scarlett told him, covering her ears in annoyance.

"Why not?" he asked, upset.

"Because I promised I wouldn't. So I can't. I try to avoid lying." she told him, glaring from behind her dark lenses.

"That's not fair!" he whined.

"Zip it, you big baby! This is worse than when we were in the blizzard! At least then I was able to shut you up, but now I can't!" she sighed. "You're acting like you're three! Should I start treating you like you're three? Would you like that?"

"No! I want you to get us out!"

"No!"

Scarlett reached between the bars and knocked him out.


	20. Chapter 20

**SCARLETT**

She sighed, leaning back against the wall. At least she'd gotten Ed to shut up. Now maybe she could rest in peace...

Not a chance.

People came in, went out, came in, went out.

Finally, just when she thought she could take it no more, a few men came for Ed and Al. She stayed, content where she was. But Major Miles eventually came in. "Yes?" she asked, refraining from snapping.

"General Armstrong wants you to join the Elric Brothers." he said.

Sighing, she stood up. "Alright..."

She followed him to the brothers, then he quickly left. "So... What'd I miss?" she asked, sitting down.

"This country is the base for a Philosopher's Stone."

As if where she'd sat down was red-hot, she sprang back up. "What? No! That means... Goddamn fuckin' shit!"

"Scarlett, calm down. We're gonna stop them, alright?" Ed asked nervously.

Growling, she nestled herself down among some of the things scattered about the room. Curling up, she braided and unbraided her hair, unsure as to what they were waiting for.

Eventually, there was a small whisper, and then a small radio Ed, Al, Falman and Buccaneer were huddled around started spitting out noise.

_There was the general's voice..._

_Wait...  
_

_Was that?_

She scrambled over to them. She stared intently at the radio, waiting for the new speaker's name.

_Raven... That bullshit bastard is here!_

She snarled. "Shoulda known that pathetic excuse for a human would show up here!" she spat.

"You know General Raven?" asked Falman.

"He came to the lab often... To observe experiments and what-not... He's a bloody bastard, and I hope he dies a painful and agonizing death before he can ever achieve this immortality wish of his!"

"How would you like a legion of immortal soldiers?" the radio crackled in Raven's voice.

"Bloody idiot... Lemme go throttle him!"

"You're staying with us, Scarlett!" Ed hissed, grabbing her sleeve before she could run out of the dark little room.

Snarling, she turned and threw him into a wall.

_Make a branch off of the tunnel..._

The idea came out of nowhere. She stopped, contemplating it. Raven would most certainly order Armstrong to put Sloth back.

"That might work..." she said.

"What? What might work?"

"Nevermind."

Ed and Al then decided to go back to their cell. Edward whipped up some rope so it'd look convincing should they run into any of Raven's men.

Just as well that he did.

**EDWARD**

Scarlett was seething. He could understand why.

In the halls, they'd run into Zolf J. Kimblee, the Crimson Alchemist. The one who'd demolished most of Ishval.

It was reasonable for her to be upset.

As long as she didn't go about revealing herself...

Kimblee turned to Scarlett. She had her hood up and glasses on. "And this must be the boys' Ishvalan body-guard. The one that seems to side with the military." he said.

"Shut the eff up." Scarlett said, her voice hushed.

"Ooh, touchy." Kimblee smirked. Scarlett hissed, moving on as her tattoos flickered. "I thought Ishvalans were forbidden to know Alchemy?"

"I don't. It knows me."

_A riddle?..._

They followed after Scarlett, slower, but still watching her. Her tattoos were flaring as she turned a corner and stopped. They stopped to watch her.

She stared at the wall, seething. Her forehead was barely touching the wall. Taking a deep breath, she took a step back from it...

And started punching the wall rapidly, at light-speed. She was swearing and hissing, a tirade of bad language flowing from her mouth.

"Calm down, girl!" Buccaneer snapped.

She turned to him, holding up one fist. "You want somma this too?" she snapped back.

Receiving no answer, she went back to beating up the wall. He took a hesitant step towards her. "Scarlett, why don't you save that energy for later? I mean, Scar may pop up and we may need you to protect us from him!" he said weakly.

Scarlett stopped, turning to him. She crossed her arms over her chest and glared down at him, reminding him just how at her mercy he was all tied up. "Because you're right, I'll stop. But if you turn out to be dead wrong, I'll make that dead... Literal."

He nodded, feeling lucky she didn't pummel him.

**SCARLETT**

She'd well lost Edward and Alphonse.

They'd gone to the mining town of Boscool. Scar had been reported there.

Edward and Alphonse had lost the guard for her. Then she'd lost them. It was simple enough.

And she knew how to find Scar.

_"I felt what he was feeling before. Now I understand. We have a link between our souls. That means through the link, I can find him."_

She went up onto the roof of the building she was on. She put her hands together as if in prayer and touched her forehead to them.

_An abandoned building..._

_A sudden voice..._

_Two of Kimblee's men..._

_Where were they?_

_There!_

She was close!

She sprang off the roof and to the next. She repeated the process until she found the building. Spotting the exact spot where they were fighting, she threw herself off the roof and at the window.

**SCAR**

He was engaged with a couple of Chimera when something smashed through the wall, landing between him and them.

"I won't let you take him."

Yuuki stood there, facing the Chimera.

"Move it, body-guard!" snarled one of them.

Yuuki held out her right arm. The tattoos glowed and the large blade ripped out of her arm. The soldiers were apparently new to her abilities, as they started.

"I thought you were my enemy now." he said.

"Never. Would I say something like that?" Yuuki looked back at him, a grin on her face. "You're my best friend!"

His eyes widened.

"Now, hows about you two freaks leave this place now... Before I unleash all hell on you?" she suggested to the Chimera.

"Scarlett! Scar?"

The Fullmetal Alchemist was in the door.

"Be wise for you too leave too."

He stood up and moved to stand next to her. "You don't have to do this."

"Yes, I do. You've protected me my whole life. Time to return the favor now."

He looked at her from the corner of his eye. Her face was expressionless. But he knew what that meant.

_She's torn between fighting for her life-long friend or for the new-found friends she found when she thought all hope was lost._

He was torn as to fight her or not as well. But he decided on the latter.

"Scarlett! What're you doing!" snarled Fullmetal.

"What I know in my heart to be right."

Scarlett now darted in and took out one of the Chimera. He slumped, unconscious, to the ground. "I fight for my friend and life-long guardian. I will not fight otherwise. I will fight to preserve life and to defend the innocent. I will not fight for any other cause."

The other Chimera fell, and she was left standing before the two boys.

"Scarlett, what ever happened to you being the one that would protect us from him, not him from us?" the younger brother asked.

"People change, Alphonse."

There was the stamping of feet.

_Soldiers._

"We have to make it quick if we're to run." she said, looking at him. "If you have Al, I've got Ed."

"Alright."


	21. Chapter 21

**SCARLETT**

She stood over him. Edward was panting and cut in several places. She, however, was unscathed.

"Scarlett... Why're you doing this?" Ed cried as he stood up.

"When darkness falls, pain is all the angel of darkness will leave behind. But I will fight 'til the end. I'm fighting for the one I pledged my soul to." she said.

**EDWARD**

A gust of wind blew in through the window. The shadows fell across Scarlett's face, but her eyes shone in the darkness. With her long hair blowing and the shadows making her look like that, she looked like a demon.

_Maybe that's all she is._

"Well, maybe so, but until my last breath..."

Groaning, he clutched his side.

"I will fight. I will fight." he said.

**ALPHONSE**

He was dodging. That was all.

Scar was too fast for him.

_Why was she doing this?_

Spotting an opening, he knocked Scar back and managed to pin his right arm. "Scar!"

He turned around in a nick of time.

Scarlett had flown at him, every blade she had out. But at the last second, she fell. He realized she was unconscious.

"Brother...?" he asked.

"I suddenly remembered that back when we first met her, Hughes had whacked her on the back of the head with the door. She'd complained about how it hurt and that the back of her head was a weak-point." Edward explained.

"She won't stay down."

They turned to Scar.

"She's not that type. Yuuki has never been known to stay down for too long."

"Ah, shut up!" Edward snarled.

_It's true. Scarlett doesn't seem to know when to quit or give up._

He wondered how long she'd stay out.

**EDWARD**

Major Miles and a few soldiers came in.

There was a little talk. Then Miles aimed his gun at Scar.

The gun-shot ran out.

But Scar wasn't dead.

_What the...?_

Scarlett was crouched in front of Scar, hand out. It was angled, and he saw that she'd deflected the bullet up and away from Scar. He face was serious and concentrated. "No." she said.

"Scarlett, why are you even doing this?" he asked.

"I follow what my heart says to do. You know that."

Her eyes were glimmering slightly, and he recalled when they fought the Homunculi in Father's lair. He took a hesitant step back. "But this..."

"Shut the fuck up, Elric." Scarlett hissed, climbing to her feet. He took another step back.

All guns were trained on her now. She growled, her eyes flickering again. "Look... People still need him, dim-wits. You can't just kill him."

"Like who?" Al asked.

"May and Marco. I know more than you think. They have notes written in ancient Ishvalan. Scar can decipher them. I can't. I need him. How did I keep myself going through the years of torment I was put through? What do you think would happen to me if you just killed him?"

The question was left hanging.

"You'd flip. Snap. Like you did when you were fighting Envy." he answered softly.

She nodded. "And anyway. As to the plan for the country, I have a plan since Sloth is still on ice... But I need Scar to help me."

That struck him full-on. _Scarlett had an idea as to how to save Amestris? The country that slew her own? That tortured her and turned her into a monster?_

"You're kidding." was all he could say. Scarlett gave him an icy glare.

**SCARLETT**

There was more talk before anyone could come to any agreement. Winry and the other three burst in about half-way through, and their plans were made.

She waited for Scar to 'abduct' Winry and make his get-away before making her move. Kimblee was right there.

Her blades came neatly and quietly into the world.

Now she made her move.

Silently, she charged across the opening to Kimblee. He fell, a long opening along his midriff. The look on his face was one of shock.

"Now you can die. The wound isn't deep, but in this cold, it'll give you time to think about what you did to my people while you die an agonizing death." she said in a guttural voice. Her eyes glared down at the shocked Alchemist. He reached out one hand for her, but she was already speeding away.

Kimblee was going to die. She'd made sure of that. There was no possible way he'd survive. He'd either die of blood-loss or the cold freezing the blood inside him.

Then again, one couldn't feel sorry for the bastard. He was insane.

But now...

Into action.

She continued running, heading for Fort Briggs. She had to get there... Get inside... Get to the tunnels...

_Run... Run... Run... Run... Run..._

Something big slammed into her. Snarling, she made to stab it, but it was already moving away. She barely made contact with it.

"Thought we'd catch you here!"

Her eyes identified her attackers as Chimera. _Two of the men who'd been with Kimblee. A lion and a gorilla. Sensitive noses._

"Hah! You're weak compared to me!" she laughed. It was true. She was made with titanium. That was super-strong!

They both charged her again, each with a fist out. She held out her hands, bracing herself. "Oof!"

They were stronger than she'd anticipated... But she could handle them! She ground her feet for a grip in the snow as they pushed her. Unable to get one, she snarled, coming up with a quick plan.

She relaxed, slipping down so that they fell over her. Having made them fall flat on their faces, she ran. If she was smart, there was no possible way they could keep up!

**GENERAL ARMSTRONG**

Scarlett had shared her plan with her, so she was on the look-out for the Ishvalan female.

"There!"

Scarlett was tearing up to the fort. Suddenly she stopped, looking back.

"If she's being followed, we'll have to execute Plan B." she murmured, not eager to follow that one.

Satisfied that she wasn't being followed, the Ishvalan came the rest of the way up and was let in. "Good. Time to get started."


	22. Chapter 22

**SCARLETT**

She stood, waiting for the general. She didn't want to get started without the general knowing.

"Scarlett."

She turned and gave a grim smile. "All ready and raring to go. Kimblee is dead and everything else functioning just fine!"

"Good. You know what your part is."

"Well, I'll be seeing you."

Having said that, she went to the tunnel that Ed had prepared previously. Without any further ado, she slipped down it.

Darkness enveloped her. She nodded. Darkness was good. According to the soldiers that had been retrieved from the tunnels, there was a monster in the shadows. No light, no shadows, no monster.

_Sloth isn't on ice anymore. Work fast._

Bearing that in mind, she started running down the tunnel. Her enhanced eyes showed her everything, and it was easy for her to get far enough away from beneath the Fort. She stopped when it seemed a good distance away. "Well, let's get started..." she grinned, turning to the wall.

The plan? Make more tunnels. Lot's more. Just screw up the circle, make them have to fix it with almost no time. That was the plan.

It wouldn't be easy to execute, but it was a plan. Sloth was probably already across the country. But he was fast. So she'd have to be fast too.

**EDWARD**

He hadn't been told that Kimblee was going to be killed. He was still shocked at that.

"General Armstrong told me to be prepared for a plan. She never told me any more than that." Miles said from behind him.

"But that was... brutal..." he whispered.

"The technique, however, was accurate. She cut into him so that he'd bleed to death in warmer conditions, but in ones like these, even a shallow cut that we could've mended easily would've gotten frost-bite incredibly quickly."

Ed shuddered. He still couldn't get over it. _Her eyes had been_ _glowing._

She hadn't been even slightly human as she killed Kimblee. Kimblee might have been insane, a killer... But he was still human. And humans had their flaws.

But Scarlett wasn't human. She was a Chimera. Combined with a rare metal to make the first real super-human...

_Was Scarlett a monster?_

He instantly shook his head, trying to rid it of that thought. She wasn't a monster! He'd spent time with her, and lots of it! He should know first-hand that she wasn't a monster!

... Was she...?

**SCARLETT**

_Beat beat beat beat beat beat beat beat..._

That was the rhythm she set.

_Beat beat beat beat beat beat beat beat..._

Occasionally she'd come to a large rock or something and she'd have to increase the tempo or pause to haul it out of the way. But it was mostly...

_Beat beat beat beat beat beat beat beat..._

Nothing interrupted her work. Nothing.

Nothing.

Nothing.

It was just her, the dark, and the stones and dirt that she flung out behind her.

She was working fast. She had to have at least ten miles of tunnel behind her now. But she couldn't stop working. Not for a while...

_Beat beat beat beat beat beat beat beat..._

_Beat beat beat beat beat beat beat beat..._

___Beat beat beat beat beat beat beat beat..._

_Beat beat beat beat beat beat beat beat..._

___Beat beat beat beat beat beat beat beat..._

**MISCELLANEOUS**

The ground was slightly shaking every once in a while. But for the most part, it was still. No one knew what was going on, what was happening beneath their feet.

Nothing...

What was going on?

Now there was a large rumble. The ground shook a little more violently than before.

**SCARLETT**

She jumped clear in a nick of time.

Her tunnel had collapsed. Only the little bit in front of her. But that gave her an idea.

"Two tunnels means more work for them having to find me." she said to herself. She turned and ran back the way she'd come. After gaining a good portion of ground, she started again, the rhythm just the same as before.

"You're being quite troublesome, ya know?"

The second tunnel was just started. Envy must've been started earlier.

"That's my job. It's why I was created. To be a thorn in people's sides. But you could say I back-fired a bit. I'm now a thorn in the sides of the ones that made me." she said, a grin creeping across her face. "But let's see... I've already killed Kimblee. General Raven is out of the picture. Same for Lust. I just need to take you out, and that'll be one more annoyance out of my way."

"You really think it'll be that easy to kill me?"

"Uh-huh. I know your tricks. There's no one you can impersonate to fool and weaken me." she nodded.

"Oh, really?"

She heard the crackle, saw the faint red flash. Snarling, she turned and dug her right arm-blade into Envy's throat. "Take off his face." she ordered.

Envy had the appearance of Scar on. His face was one of shock, and his neck was already healing over. "You didn't hesitate to attack your friend!" he shouted accusingly.

"Scar is in the North. He doesn't know the location of the tunnel exit-points. As far as I know, he's rallying the Ishvalan survivors across the country now to help in the revolution against you worms!" she smirked. "You can't fool me, Homunculus!"

Envy snarled, a shift starting-

As she chopped off the arm that he was morphing. He screamed.

"It's no use, beast. My eyes show me everything you're going to do, your stats and your plans." she said, a growl lacing her words.

"Well then..." Envy smirked.

She cried out as a fistful of dirt was thrown into her face, blinding her. She pawed at her eyes, but Envy was already attacking. "Shit you! I suppose you got that from when you were fighting me and Ling?" she spat as his blows glanced off her.

"How'd you guess?"

An idea popped into her head. Envy made to strike her again, and she grabbed him. His true size was very large, so his condensed mass was heavy...

"Ow!" he cried, getting up from where she'd slung him into the wall where she had the tunnel going.

"Heh. You made a mistake in coming here, Envy."

"Huh?" His voice held a trace of fear now.

"You've just made my work easier. You're assisting me dig." she informed him, a cold smile on her face.

Understanding sparked in his eyes as he saw what she meant. "You wouldn't..." he said, voice full of fear now.

"I already started. And I can do it until your Stone expires, which should be a while." she said, grabbing him as he tried to flee.


	23. Chapter 23

**EDWARD**

He sighed, wondering how Winry was doing. He knew she had to be safe, but he was still worried about her.

The arrangement had been that after Scarlett found a way to send word that she'd screwed up the tunnels enough, they'd find the Ishvalan refugee-camp in the near-by slums were Scar, Marcoh, May and Winry were headed. From there, they'd head to Liore to meet up with her. So far there'd been no word.

"I'm worried too." Al said from behind him. He nodded.

"You should be."

The two turned to see General Armstrong. She looked grim. "Why's that?" he asked.

"The Fuhrer is here to see you two."

"What?!" they both cried.

They were lead to a different room, where the Fuhrer sat. From his expression, he wasn't happy.

"Hello, you two. You may go now, General."

"Sir." Armstrong nodded, walking out.

"Your friend has caused quite a bit of trouble."

"She attacked us, sir..." Al said softly.

Wrath's eye widened a bit. "That's something I haven't heard. All I heard was that she assisted Scar in the kidnapping of your friend and killed Kimblee, directly afterwards returning here and killing General Raven before escaping into the tunnel. Envy was sent after her, but so far we haven't heard anything from him."

_Scarlett killed Raven...? But General Armstrong... Oh!  
_

It had been a cover-up! To make Scarlett seem bad while they continued on with the plan! She was nearly indestructible, so if all the Homunculi were focused on her, she'd eventually destroy them!

"It's true, sir. Right before helping scar abduct Winry, she helped him defeat the soldiers that had him cornered, and then she turned on us." he said, playing along.

"Well, she shouldn't get too far. She is strong, but Envy is stronger, and he's been around longer. He'll surely beat her."

**SCARLETT  
**

"Get back here, you bloody coward!" she howled, chasing after Envy's fleeing back.

She'd been using him as a tool to assist her demolition of the tunnels for a while now. It was taking him longer to heal. But then they'd uncovered a mine-shaft, and he'd slipped into it.

"What's the matter? Afraid of a puny human like myself?" she yelled, stopping at a fork. "You're a bloody coward, Envy, hiding behind the faces of other people to avoid pain and punishment! You're just jealous of us! How we have others who care for us!"

She carefully examined the ground. Left!

She started running down the tunnel. She heard the panicked cry of the terrified Homunculus a second before she saw him. She put on an extra burst of speed.

Now he made the mistake of looking back, causing him to trip a little. She gained more ground, and soon had him pinned up against a wall.

"P-please... Don't..." he whispered, begging her.

"Why? Have you ever shown mercy to the ones you kill? Have you ever felt even a sliver of pity or any emotion other than that of your hatred and jealousy for us humans?" she snarled.

Her right arm-blade slipped out, her blood trickling down it. Envy's eyes widened in fear.

**ENVY**

She was going to kill him.

He stared in terror at her. Her red eyes were glowing, like they had at Father's lair, when she'd gone berserk on him.

But he didn't think he'd last even a minute of her attacking him, not in this condition!

Her arm came up, and he swallowed in fear.

"Your Stone..." she started, the point of the deadly blade tapping the skin on the bottom of his chin. "... it's right about here, isn't it?"

"... don't..." he squeaked.

"I could, if it struck my fancy. I could end your life just by thrusting this upwards..."

He clenched his eyes shut.

"But I won't."

"Huh?" He was confused, and opened his eyes.

"In this condition, I can out-run you, I'm stronger than you, and I can end your life in mere seconds. So right now, you're going to do as I say. And you're going to help me dig." she hissed, her forehead inches away from his.

"What...? No, I can't! Father would-"

"Who do you think is more important right now, me? Or your so-called Father, who doesn't really give shit about your insignificant life? To him, you are expendable. But if you play your cards right, you could become valuable to me, Envy. I bet I could find a way to restore your Stone a bit too, if you were to behave."

He trembled, going over the options. The only way to make a Philosopher's Stone was to sacrifice human lives... Would she, a human herself, stoop so low as to do that?

"And..."

"What?"

If you were to behave long enough, I might learn to like you. It's your choice, Envy."

**EDWARD**

He swallowed nervously, watching the Fuhrer's envoy leave the fort. "That was close..." he murmured nervously.

No one else spoke for a while after that.

"Well, we've stalled for a while, and if what you say about Scarlett is true, this Envy person won't be able to stop her." General Armstrong said.

"Not necessarily..." he said softly. "Envy's true form is huge. Almost big enough to fill a portion of the tunnel. He could very possibly beat Scarlett."

"Then we'd better get to work on other parts of the plan."

**SCARLETT**

She didn't stop her even tempo despite having to keep an eye on Envy. His rhythm was frantic, and there wasn't any set rhythm to his digging either. When he felt she was going to punish him for slacking off, he sped up.

_At least he wouldn't rebel... Not with his Stone so low..._

Her eyes registered something approaching them. "You don't stop working. We've got company." she ordered.

Terrified, the Homunculus nodded and kept digging.

She turned and went back the way they'd come. She walked quickly, knowing the danger of having another Homunculus come and ruin their plans.

"I can smell you!"

_Ugh... Gluttony... Had to be..._

She didn't pause, rushing at his form. He narrowly avoided her blow. "You got lucky that time, but I'm not holding back!" she snarled.

"Why is Envy with you? Envy was sent to destroy you!"

She ignored his voice and focused on killing him. He'd been newly resurrected, so she'd have a bit of a job on her hands here...

But that was fine...

... She had all the time in the world...


	24. Chapter 24

**EDWARD**

"She came through!"

It was several weeks later. And they'd just gotten the call that Scarlett was out of the tunnels and in Liore!

"Alright!" he cheered. He threw on his coat, ready to go look for the slum where Scar, Winry and the others were hiding out.

**WINRY**

"Look!" she cried.

"Here they come!" May squealed.

"At last..." Marcoh sighed.

Ed charged right up to her. "You okay? Nobody attacked you or anything?"

"Ed, we're fine! Nothing happened while we were here... But I take it Scarlett made it to Liore?"

"Yeah! Now we're on our way out to meet her!"

**SCARLETT**

She stood, facing the golden-haired man. He looked curiously back at her and Envy. She twirled one finger in the air, then pointed. "Ed and Al's father, no?"

"Correct." the man answered. "But who are you? In the company of a Homunculus, and knowing who my sons are?"

"I'm Scarlett. The Ishvalan once bent on protecting the military and Amestris. Now just Amestris." she answered. Envy was cowering behind her, so she reached back and pulled him forward. "And this... He now works for me on the condition that i don't kill him." she said. He was trembling, so as a gesture of pity, she gave his shoulder a small pat.

"I see. So, what work exactly are you doing here in Liore?"

"Wrecked the circle that the country rests on. It'll take them quite a bit to fix what we did. I'd say at least half a year." she smirked.

"If Father finds out one of his precious children aided the destruction of his circle, he won't be pleased." the man remarked, addressing Envy.

The Homunculus nodded, trembling harder. "She said she'd protect me..."

"So long as you behave, that's the deal here."

"So, just how are you one to be feared, a terror to steer clear of?"

"Yeah, Bradley's just saying that because I killed Kimblee and I'm pretending to have killed General Raven. But other than that, it's because of..." She held up one arm and let the blade rip out. "I'm a Chimera, combined with the rarest metal known to man, titanium. I'm the closest one can get to superhuman. Now then, what's your name again? Hohenheim? I believe I heard Ed call you that."

"That is accurate." he nodded.

"I can tell a lot of things about something just by looking. It can get overwhelming at times, so I wear thick sunglasses that also conceal my lineage. I heal faster than any other actual living thing, and my entire body is one big transmutation circle. I'm stronger than any other human opponent, and it takes more than even bullets to affect me." she murmured, tying up her hair. "I thought I'd never be able to reconnect with actual people. Even those who think they know the real me have only just scratched the surface. Your sons..."

She paused as a gust of wind blew some dust past them.

"... They make a serious impression on people that is hard to get rid of."

**EDWARD**

They came into the town and asked around. Quickly enough, they located Scarlett's location.

She glanced up at them from beneath the tree she was sitting under before her gaze going right back up. "Glad ya made it." she said.

"Something wrong?" he asked.

"You little twerp!"

They turned to see...

Scarlett?

She stood bristling beside Hohenheim, glaring at the one beneath the tree. "Drop the act pal. Do it now or you're dead!" she spat, striding up to the one beneath the tree.

"Scarlett...?" Al asked in confusion as Envy dropped her face.

"He's now working under me. We made that agreement in my tunnel... But I'm considering killing him now!"

"No..." Envy pleaded.

"Lucky you I'm so generous, worm." Scarlett hissed, shoving him. She then turned to them and smiled. "Nice to see you all made it! How'd it go?"

"A few bumps, but we're all okay!" he smiled back.

Scarlett lost her smile. "But despite my screwing up the tunnels, they'll still try to fix it in time. Because Hohenheim is here, we've been discussing fall-back plans. The best one we can think of is to spirit one of you away."

"Huh?" Winry asked, voicing all their confusion.

"I know a place, at the border of Ishval, where you'd be safe. No one else but me and Scar know where it is."

"You can't be serious. It's not that safe, Yuuki!" Scar butted in.

"It's the safest one that's out of the country!" she objected. "It's the only solution if the tunnels are fixed!"

"What?" asked May.

"A series of catacombs and caves in the desert, just outside the country's border. We played there often when we were little. But it's prone to cave-ins and occasional earthquakes." Scar explained.

"But think about it... They have no power over their little sacrifices if they're out of the country." Scarlett said. "Isn't that so?" she asked, turning to Envy. The Homunculus nodded frantically, his eyes full of fear.

"She's right, Edward. If one of us were to be out of the country, they couldn't complete their trans-mutation." Hohenheim sighed.

He whirled around to face his father. "Then you go! I'm not leaving!" he snarled.

"Actually, the best option would be Mrs. Curtis."

"What?" he asked, confused.

"According to a little birdie, there are already plans to abduct your teacher and take her to Central until the Promised Day. Even since Hohenheim reduced her spells, she's relatively weaker than you would be, easier to wear down... The best thing to do is to escort her to the catacombs. As well as..."

"What now?" Al asked.

"We'd be better off taking two of you... And you or your brother is the next."

**IZUMI**

The phone rang, and she quickly answered. "Curtis residence."

"Izumi. This is Scarlett."

Her eyes widened a fraction. "How can I help you?"

"I'm coming to Dublith with Edward and... a friend. You're on the list of sacrifices that Ed told you about, and someone's being sent to fetch you. I'm going to escort you and Edward to a place where you'll be safe and out of the country."

"What?!"

"I know... But it's what's right, safe, and they'll be short three pawns in their little game." Scarlett said quickly, her voice apologetic. "But listen... Do you remember Greed?"

"The Homunculus that kidnapped Alphonse?"

"Yeah... He was resurrected for one thing, and for another, there are more Homunculi. They're the ones that're pulling these strings, the ones that need sacrifices. My friend is a Homunculus I just beat into cooperating, and he's the one that informed me about the plans to take you."

"How do you know that he isn't lying?" she asked suspiciously.

"Good point... Hold please, I'll be right back."

She waited, hearing Scarlett ask someone to hold the phone, then loud screams.

_'Don't kill me?' She's threatening to kill the Homunculus in order to get the truth?_

"Shut up and start talking!"

She knew that was Scarlett's voice, but who was she talking to?

"I swear! It's true! I'm not lying! Please don't kill me!" came terrified sobs of someone she didn't know.

"Since when does one trust the word of a Homunculus?" Scarlett snarled. "If you're lying, I'm gonna kill you, Envy!"

"It-it's true! Don't kill me! Please! I'm not lying!"

"You hear that? Sorry little cross-dressing bastard says it's the truth, and if he is lying, I've beat him up enough that one blow should kill him..." Scarlett said, addressing her.

"Yes, I heard. He must be telling the truth... But tell me who's coming for me?"

"Well? Who is it?" Scarlett asked the unlucky Homunculus from her end.

"W-Wrath, I think..."

"You think or you know?"

"I don't know for sure! I was supposed to after eliminating you!"

"Failed that part badly, didn't he?" she chuckled.

"Yeah, the bastard sure did. But if it is Wrath, he can predict your moves. Your best hope is to blind him and run if he gets there before we do."

"Okay. I'll meet you at the old place where we faced Greed. Three days?" she confirmed.

"Yup. Seeya."

**EDWARD**

"My head still hurts." he grumbled.

"Well sorry." Scarlett said, no apologetic emotion in her voice what-so-ever.

"I still don't get why you knocked me out... Wait, everyone else was in on you doing that, weren't they?!" he accused.

"Nope." Scarlett answered, but he could tell she was lying. "Now quit whining and come on. Pick up the pace, we need to get there fast!"

He groaned, but obeyed her. Envy also sped up a tad. They were almost to the Nest when they were stopped.

"I see you're working with the enemy now, Envy."

"W-Wrath!" Envy squeaked. "I-I don't have any choice!"

"And why not?" the Fuhrer asked.

"Because otherwise I'll kill him. Sorry, but he's mine now. And if needed, I'll put you under my control as well, you one-eyed fucker." Scarlett hissed.

"I'd like to see you try..." Wrath said, drawing his sword. Scarlett's tattoos flared, and he hurled himself away, Envy doing the same a second before every blade Scarlett had emerging.

"You're gonna need more than that little toy to put a dent in me, worm."

"Crap... Scarlett, is this gonna be all-out?" he worried.

"Yeah, looks like it. Envy, you take him to meet Izumi. Edward, at any sign of him trying to turn traitor, go ahead and cut him to ribbons." Scarlett ordered.

"Yes, ma'am!" they both said, running on past the two as they started to fight.

"I'm gonna do as she said, Envy. Any sign of you trying to betray us..." He trailed off, trans-muting his auto-mail into a blade.

"I'm not..."

"Edward!"

"Teacher! Scarlett's engaging Wrath!" he cried.

"Should we help her?"

"No, you'd only be in the way! She'll be better off alone!" Envy said quickly.

"I take it this is Envy, the Homunculus Scarlett controls?" Izumi asked, turning stoney eyes to Envy.

"Yeah. If he misbehaves, we have permission to kill him." he nodded. "C'mon! We can at least watch from the sidelines!"


	25. DON'T REVIEW!

**Hello, and thank you to all those reading this...**

**But for now, this story is going on HIATUS D:...**

**Don't worry, it'll get up an' runnin' again someday! But for now, I need to narrow down what stories I work on so I can finish all of these and publish my new ones! Please don't kill me for putting this particular one on hiatus... It's nothing personal... Just going by which one is closest to done... which isn't this one...**

**DO NOT REVIEW FOR THIS CHAPTER!**

**IT WILL BE REPLACED WHEN I GET AROUND TO GETTING THIS THING OFF HIATUS! DON'T WASTE YOUR PRECIOUS REVIEW ON THIS AUTHOR'S NOTE!**


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